《Unlimited Resources: Raising a Minister with a Pocket Supermarket》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The breeze was not dry, and the sun was shining brightly. During the May holiday, her parents went out together, leaving Yu Xiaolian alone in the supermarket. Her family¡¯s supermarket was located in town and was the largest supermarket in their town. The two-story building in the backyard of the supermarket was her home. In her mother¡¯s words, her family might not be the richest family in town, but they were close. They just had to work harder for a few more years. Other than the busy days, there were not many people at the supermarket. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to take legal leave, but she had to help her parents look after the supermarket. Yu Xiaolian wasn¡¯t happy at all. Will the two of you really be happy going on a holiday? Won¡¯t your conscience hurt? There were very few customers at noon perhaps because the weather was too hot. She opened a bag of potato chips. As she ate, she idly read a novel on her phone software. ¡°Yu Xiaolian¡­ Yu Xiaolian¡­¡± She was engrossed in reading when she suddenly heard a distant and empty call. ¡°Hey, who¡¯s calling me?¡± Yu Xiaolian stood up with the chips in her hand and craned her neck towards the entrance of the shop. She took a look and muttered to herself, ¡°There¡¯s no one here either!¡± She was about to sit back down and continue reading her novel, but she felt very dizzy and her eyes were a little blurry. She almost couldn¡¯t stand anymore. ¡°Oh no, is my hypoglycemia acting up again¡­¡± Just as she was about to find a piece of fruit candy on the shelf to eat, she felt her legs go soft and she fell to the ground. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ve called the soul back for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Thank you, Auntie Hao. Will my Xiaolian be alright?¡± ¡°Now that her fever has subsided and her breathing is normal, she should be able to wake up in a while. Erm¡­ we¡¯re all from the same village. It¡¯s quite difficult for you guys. Just give me fifteen copper coins. You know that if people from other villages look for me, they won¡¯t bargain for thirty copper coins.¡± In a daze, Yu Xiaolian heard someone saying something strange. She wanted to open her eyes, but she felt her eyelids heavy and fell asleep again. When she woke up again, she was woken up by a commotion. ¡°It¡¯s fine if this little unlucky star dies, but you actually spent money to treat her. If you have so much money that you can¡¯t spend it all, why don¡¯t you be filial to me?¡± ¡°Mother, Xiaolian is still my daughter. She has a high fever. I can¡¯t just watch her die, right?¡± ¡°Yu Changhe, your son died a long time ago. This wretched girl was picked up by you. She¡¯s not your biological daughter. Can you figure it out? I¡¯m your biological mother. That jinx was picked up!¡± Old Madam Yu pointed at her second son with an angry expression. Seeing that Yu Changhe had lowered his head in silence, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s not that Mother doesn¡¯t like her, but how can there be a child who won¡¯t freeze to death after staying in the snow for an entire night in the middle of winter? Her eyes are gray. She¡¯s different from us normal people. She¡¯s a vixen. Why don¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Yu Xiaolian frowned. Hearing the noise outside the house, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity. She lowered her head and looked at herself. Her hands, feet, and entire body were small. In a panic, she touched her entire body. How did she become so small? She was still wearing clothes that were washed white and filled with patches. Had she transmigrated? Otherwise, why would she become a child and be in this dilapidated house? This was the only explanation. Yu Xiaolian stood up from the bed and walked around, looking around the room. There was black dust hanging on the thatched roof, and the walls were made of mud. One could clearly see the yellow grass on the walls. Other than a simple carved cabinet and bed, there were two large wooden boxes on the ground. On top of the wooden box was a small basket made of bamboo. There were some wild fruits inside. The soil had been swept clean, and there was a little water sprinkled on it. The blankets on the bed were stacked neatly at the corner of the bed. The bamboo mat was also extremely clean. There were a few places that were torn and sewn together by a few pieces of cloth. It could be seen that the mistress of the house was an extremely clean person. Yu Xiaolian glanced at the ground. There was a pair of small cloth shoes with a hole in them, but they had been patched up. This must be the original owner¡¯s shoes! The commotion outside didn¡¯t stop. Yu Xiaolian planned to go out and take a look. As soon as she put on the shoes, it was as if a floodgate of memories had opened. The original owner¡¯s memories surged like a flood. Yu Xiaolian held the edge of the brick bed and digested it in the room. When she received all the memories of the original owner, she was dumbfounded. She was actually in a book. She even entered the novel she was reading just now. This Host was also called Yu Xiaolian like her, but this Yu Xiaolian was a cannon fodder supporting actress in the book! Oh my god, how did she somehow transmigrate? She wondered how her modern body was doing and if it was still around. Suddenly, she remembered the voice calling a soul last night. She vaguely remembered that it was the witch called Auntie Hao who brought her to this world. No, she had to find that witch and ask her to think of a way to send her back. Yu Xiaolian pushed open the door and came out. The noise outside suddenly stopped. Several pairs of eyes stared at her. She swallowed her saliva and said, ¡°Can I look for Granny Hao?¡± Old Madam Yu glared at her and said angrily, ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t fifteen copper coins enough? Do you still want to send her some more money?¡± Granny Hao was usually not very capable, so Old Madam Yu did not stop her from performing the ritual for Yu Xiaolian yesterday. In any case, she would not pay if she could not save her. What she didn¡¯t expect was that this useless Granny Hao really saved the dying Yu Xiaolian. How strange. Although Yu Xiaolian was the soul of the twenty-first century, she had always been a quiet girl and had never fought with anyone else. At this moment, Old Madam Yu was looking at her so fiercely that she couldn¡¯t help but feel timid. ¡°I just want to¡­ thank her.¡± She couldn¡¯t possibly say in front of Old Madam Yu that she wanted that witch to send her back to the modern world. Old Madam Yu rolled her eyes. ¡°If you want to thank someone, thank your father. With your illness, he hired a doctor and a witch. He also owes a lot of money. He can¡¯t live like this anymore.¡± Yu Xiaolian looked at Yu Changhe, who was leaning on a wooden stick and had a crippled leg. She steeled her heart and said, ¡°Father¡­ thank you.¡± Yu Changhe nodded slightly, then looked at his wife, Madam Sun. ¡°Bring Xiaolian back to her room.¡± Madam Sun brought Yu Xiaolian back to the room, and the noise outside began again. Yu Xiaolian listened carefully. Madam Sun had also heard Old Madam Yu mention the separation. She glanced at Yu Xiaolian and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go out. Mother will go out and take a look.¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. After Madam Sun left, Yu Xiaolian immediately pressed her ear to the window. It was uncertain if she could go back. Since she was here for a day, she had to understand the actual situation. As long as one remains a monk, one rings the bell. ¡°Ever since you became lame and couldn¡¯t go to town to earn money, our family lost an income source. The dozen mu of land at home is all maintained by your father and brother. ¡°Your brother hasn¡¯t married yet. The Qi family¡¯s girl who went on a blind date with your brother said that if you want her to marry over, your family of three will have to split up and go there. I originally wanted to discuss it with her family again, but you caused so much crop failure yesterday. I can¡¯t care about you anymore.¡± Seeing that Yu Changhe was silent, Old Madam Yu continued, ¡°Your father and your brother discussed this matter last night. They all agreed to split up the family. However, you can¡¯t have your share of the land. You can plant the land in the southwest corner.¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yu Changhe tightened his grip on the wooden stick. He wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words. Old Madam Yu continued, ¡°After we part ways, you have to take care of the crop failure yourselves. ¡°Then, just give me and your father 50 copper coins every month for retirement. After all, ever since your leg became crippled, we raised your family of three for a few months for nothing.¡± Madam Sun could not stand it anymore and said, ¡°Mother, you have to speak with your conscience. What do you mean by raising us for a few months for nothing? Changhe can¡¯t do heavy work, but I¡¯ve done all the work at home and outside. ¡°In the past, when Changhe was a bailiff in town, the monthly salary of two taels of silver was handed over to you. Now, you¡¯re not giving us land or money. Isn¡¯t this too unfair to us?¡± When Old Madam Yu saw that Madam Sun dared to argue with her, she immediately said with a cold expression, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the wasteland in the southwest corner would be given to you? As for the high-grade farmland, it¡¯s useless to give it to you. He¡¯s a cripple who can¡¯t farm. After giving it to you, won¡¯t it end up in the hands of your brothers?¡± Madam Sun was furious at Old Madam Yu¡¯s words. It seemed that the Yu family really did not intend to consider Yu Changhe as their son. Madam Sun was so angry that she couldn¡¯t say anything. Yu Changhe stepped forward and grabbed his wife¡¯s wrist. He looked at Old Madam Yu and said, ¡°Since you despise me for being a burden to this family, you can split up the family. However, you have to find the village chief and ask him to split up this family. No matter what, I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Old Madam Yu muttered, ¡°Why are you looking for him? I know best how many things and plots of land there are in this house. I¡¯ll just split them.¡± Yu Changhe said coldly, ¡°If the village chief doesn¡¯t come, I won¡¯t split this family!¡± Father Yu, who had been squatting at the foot of the wall and smoking a bag of cigarettes, heard his second son¡¯s words and knocked the pipe against the wall. After knocking away the ashes, he stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go find the village chief.¡± After Father Yu left, Yu Changfu walked up to Yu Changhe thoughtfully. He first sighed, then patted Yu Changhe¡¯s shoulder and said earnestly, ¡°Second Brother, you¡¯re too stupid. Why did you have to keep that little unlucky star? Ever since you picked her up, Brother Kuang died in less than two years. Now, your leg is crippled, and our Elder Yu didn¡¯t pass the imperial examination. Now, because of her, the family is splitting up. All of this is because she¡¯s an unlucky star!¡± Yu Changhe removed Yu Changfu¡¯s hand from his shoulder expressionlessly. ¡°This has nothing to do with Lian¡¯er.¡± Old Man Yu quickly found the village chief. Under the village chief¡¯s instructions, Yu Changhe officially left the family. Unlike before, he was given an additional mu of superior land, 500 copper coins, 200 catties of rice, 50 catties of sorghum rice, and a bag of cornmeal. As for the place where they lived, it had not changed. The family of three still lived in the same house. Old Madam Yu also gave Yu Changhe a few bowls, basins, and farming tools, but they were all the most broken ones. As for the kitchen, Old Madam Yu asked Yu Changhe to build a stove in the backyard. Before it was built, they were allowed to temporarily borrow the original kitchen for a period of time. However, Old Madam Yu specially instructed her eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Cao, to buy things like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar from the town herself. They were not allowed to borrow theirs. Yu Changhe asked Madam Sun to bring the things into the house. Madam Sun carried the things and looked at Yu Xiaolian with tears in her eyes. Her eyes were filled with indignation, and Yu Xiaolian saw it clearly. When Yu Changhe brought Yu Xiaolian back, he was still working as a bailiff in town and earned two taels of silver a month. Therefore, when Yu Changhe wanted to adopt Yu Xiaolian, the entire Yu family did not object. However, when Yu Xiaolian was two years old, Yu Zikuang, the son of Yu Changhe and Madam Sun, died of a high fever due to illness. As Yu Xiaolian¡¯s eyes were one-third gray, they were considered ominous by the villagers. Later on, someone in the village started to spread rumors that Yu Xiaolian had killed Yu Changhe¡¯s biological son. In the beginning, Madam Sun didn¡¯t care much about these rumors and treated Yu Xiaolian as well as ever. Later on, as these rumors increased, Madam Sun also began to feel disgusted with Yu Xiaolian. However, Madam Sun only treated her coldly and violently and never hit her. A few months ago, Yu Changhe offended the young master of the town¡¯s bully, Pan Jinrong. Pan Jinrong sent someone to break his leg. From then on, Yu Changhe lost his job and a leg. The Yu family immediately became tight on money, and Madam Sun found Yu Xiaolian more and more unpleasant to the eye. All these years, Madam Sun had never gotten pregnant again. The villagers also said that it was Yu Xiaolian¡¯s fault and that it would be fine if she was sent away. Sigh, Yu Xiaolian was the bane of everyone in this village. Madam Sun carefully stacked the bags of food in a corner of the house. The bottom was cushioned with wooden planks to prevent the rice from flowing out. Yu Changhe carried a string of copper coins into the house. They should have been given 500 copper coins, but Old Madam Yu only gave them 450 copper coins. Old Madam Yu directly deducted 50 copper coins in advance for next month¡¯s retirement support fee. Yu Changhe handed the copper coins that were tied with a thin string to Madam Sun. ¡°Put it away!¡± Madam Sun took the string of copper coins with tears in her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mother to be so heartless. In the past, the entire family relied on you to support them. Now that you¡¯re crippled and can¡¯t earn money, you¡¯re separating our family.¡± Yu Changhe did not respond to Madam Sun¡¯s words. He only stretched out his hand and called Yu Xiaolian over. Then, he reached out and touched Yu Xiaolian¡¯s forehead. Seeing that she was no longer running a high fever, he revealed a smile, but that smile did not reach his eyes. At this moment, Yu Xiaolian¡¯s emotions were extremely complicated because she knew that the outcome of everyone in the Yu family, including herself, was extremely tragic. Yu Changhe looked at Madam Sun. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Can you make some food for Xiaolian?¡± Madam Sun stopped packing. ¡°Mother and the others are using the kitchen. Let¡¯s wait for a while!¡± Yu Xiaolian probed, ¡°Father, can I go out and play?¡± Yu Changhe glanced at Yu Xiaolian. ¡°You¡¯ve been running a high fever for the past few days. It wasn¡¯t easy for you to recover, and you can¡¯t go out for a breather now. Be good and play in the house!¡± Yu Xiaolian frowned. If she wasn¡¯t allowed to go out, how could she have the chance to find that witch? She was afraid that if she delayed for too long, she would never be able to return to her original world. Yu Changhe carried Yu Xiaolian to the bed and placed the bamboo basket on her lap. ¡°Eat some wild fruits to fill your stomach first.¡± Although Yu Xiaolian was already ten years old, her body was very thin and weak. She looked much younger than children her age. She glanced at the bamboo basket Yu Changhe handed her. There were a few wild apricots and a few wild pears that had just turned red. Yu Xiaolian only took a glance at these wild fruits, and her mouth was already starting to water. However, Yu Changhe was currently staring at her, so she had no choice but to bite the hard pear. To Yu Xiaolian¡¯s surprise, not only was the pear not sour, but it was also slightly sweet. However, there was too little pulp and too many hard dregs, so the taste was not good. Yu Xiaolian only took a bite and didn¡¯t want to take a second bite. For some reason, she felt quite full at this moment. Thinking that she might always live in this world in the future, she was a little sad and depressed and wasn¡¯t in the mood to eat at all. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and ask Big Brother for help to build a stove in the backyard.¡± Yu Changhe lifted the curtain and dragged his crippled leg out. Madam Sun carried half a bag of rice and glanced at Yu Xiaolian. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the east of the village to grind rice. Don¡¯t run around at home.¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. She could tell from Madam Sun¡¯s expression that she didn¡¯t like her. Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yu Xiaolian leaned against the window and looked into the courtyard. There was no one in the courtyard. The entire Yu family had gone into the house to eat. This was the best time for her to secretly find Granny Hao. Yu Xiaolian put on her small cloth shoes and slipped out of the Yu family¡¯s courtyard. According to the original owner¡¯s memory, Granny Hao¡¯s family lived at the west end of the village, near the foot of the mountain. That place was very easy to find because there were only two families there. One was Hunter Jiang¡¯s family, and the other was Granny Hao¡¯s family. Yu Xiaolian often went to the mountain to dig wild vegetables and would always pass by there. Therefore, she easily found Granny Hao¡¯s house. Granny Hao seemed quite surprised to see her. Yu Xiaolian thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Grandma Hao, if the wrong soul is called, can we still send it back?¡± Granny Hao reached out and touched Yu Xiaolian¡¯s forehead. ¡°Could it be that this child has a high fever and has become stupid? What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Yu Xiaolian swallowed nervously. She was actually very uneasy. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ if you call the wrong soul, can you send it back?¡± Seeing Yu Xiaolian repeat it again with a serious expression, Granny Hao¡¯s expression changed. She took Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hand and entered the house. ¡°Get on the bed and lie down!¡± Yu Xiaolian obediently lay down. A sense of relief rose in her heart. This was great. She should be able to go back. Granny Hao took out a handful of incense. Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t see how she lit it, but the incense seemed to ignite on its own. Granny Hao drew the incense back and forth on Yu Xiaolian¡¯s body a few times, and muttered some incantations that Yu Xiaolian couldn¡¯t understand. The strong incense made Yu Xiaolian unable to open her eyes, and she had no choice but to close her eyes. Slowly, Yu Xiaolian felt like she was sleepy. When she opened her eyes again, she was in her own supermarket. She was back! Yu Xiaolian jumped up happily. She couldn¡¯t wait to open the door and go out to find her parents, but the glass door seemed to be locked, and she couldn¡¯t open it no matter what. Yu Xiaolian was burning with anxiety. She used all her strength to pull the glass door, but it still didn¡¯t move. ¡°Yu Xiaolian¡­ Yu Xiaolian¡­¡± Yu Xiaolian heard Granny Hao call her again. This time, she didn¡¯t dare to answer casually. She didn¡¯t want to go back. Although she felt that transmigrating was quite fun when she read books, Yu Xiaolian felt uncomfortable when she thought about living without a phone and computer in the future. As long as she didn¡¯t agree, Granny Hao probably couldn¡¯t call her back. However, she had no choice. Yu Xiaolian opened her eyes again and saw Granny Hao with gray hair at her temples. Granny Hao looked at her nervously, as if she was asking a silent question. Yu Xiaolian exploded, ¡°Why did you call me back?¡± Granny Hao shook her right hand and the burnt incense fell onto the bed. ¡°I want to go back!¡± Yu Xiaolian broke down and shouted. The next second, Yu Xiaolian actually appeared in the supermarket again. She was overjoyed. She tried to open the door again, but she still couldn¡¯t open it. Suddenly, Yu Xiaolian felt a pain on her fingertips. It turned out that Granny Hao had pricked her finger with a needle when she saw that she hadn¡¯t woken up for a long time. ¡°Child, I¡¯ve already tried my best. No matter who you were in the past, you can only be Yu Xiaolian in the future. In the end, I¡¯ve let you down. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep your secret.¡± Yu Xiaolian¡¯s expression was ashen. She knew that she would never return to her original home. She left Granny Hao¡¯s house dejectedly. ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t that the unlucky star? Didn¡¯t she have a high fever? Why isn¡¯t she dead yet?¡± ¡°Quick¡­ Let¡¯s take a detour and stay away from her.¡± A few girls were carrying baskets made of willow branches and were about to go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables when they bumped into the dejected Yu Xiaolian. The few of them whispered as they walked around her. Yu Xiaolian looked up. Among those girls, she only knew one called Zhao Erya. She only recognized the others, but she didn¡¯t know their names. Zhao Erya was also the only girl her age who wasn¡¯t afraid of her. However, her family was afraid. After hearing that Zhao Erya and Yu Xiaolian were getting close, Zhao Erya¡¯s family beat her up fiercely, so Zhao Erya didn¡¯t dare to talk to Yu Xiaolian now. When Yu Xiaolian returned to the Yu family, Madam Sun had just returned with the ground rice. When she saw Yu Xiaolian return, she didn¡¯t greet her. She only lowered her face and went into the house to put the rice away. Then, she scooped a bowl of rice and went to the kitchen. In the kitchen, Yu Changfu¡¯s wife, Madam Cao, was washing the dishes. When she saw Madam Sun enter, she immediately threw the bowls in the pot aside. ¡°If you want to use the pot, wash the dishes.¡± Without another word, Madam Sun took the bowl from Madam Cao¡¯s hand and started washing it. Madam Cao said smugly, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen your Changhe so stupid. He doesn¡¯t want his own child but insists on raising someone else¡¯s child. He¡¯s even raising her quite vigorously.¡± Madam Sun only washed the bowl in her hand and did not say anything. Madam Cao glanced at the bowl of rice that Madam Sun had brought over. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to cook today? Mother told me to watch over you and not let you use our family¡¯s oil and salt.¡± Madam Sun washed the plates and bowls out of the pot in a few moves. Then, she started to wash the pot. ¡°Sister-in-law, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll just use the pot to cook some porridge.¡± Madam Cao leaned against the door frame and said sarcastically, ¡°Cook porridge? Cooking porridge takes a lot of water. When you¡¯re done in a while, don¡¯t forget to fill the water vat. Second uncle is crippled and can¡¯t carry water. You¡¯ll have to work hard.¡± Madam Sun¡¯s hand that was washing the pot paused. Then, she said coldly, ¡°Sister-in-law, you¡¯d better go out. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be good if the water is thrown at you later.¡± As she spoke, Madam Sun swung the brush in her hand at Madam Cao. Although Madam Cao¡¯s clothes were not made of good materials, she did not want to dirty them. She took a few steps back, spat at Madam Sun, and left. Yu Xiaolian returned to the house, her mind still thinking about the situation in the supermarket just now. Could she really never go back? For some reason, Yu Xiaolian actually appeared in her supermarket again. This time, she immediately pulled the glass door of the convenience store, but it still didn¡¯t work. She walked to the cashier again. The half bag of potato chips and the novel she was reading on her phone were still there. She tried to pick up the half-full bag of chips and actually succeeded. After taking a bite, it was the same as usual. She had heard before that after a person died, their soul would be trapped in the place of death and repeat the moment of death. But at this moment, everything in the supermarket seemed to have stopped. All of this should be an illusion. Yu Xiaolian thought about it a few times in her heart and realized that she could shuttle back and forth between ancient times and the supermarket. Moreover, the things in the supermarket would appear in her hands with just a thought. She could actually bring modern things to ancient times. This discovery made Yu Xiaolian¡¯s uncomfortable mood improve a lot. Yu Xiaolian thought that she couldn¡¯t go back anyway, so she resigned herself to fate and went to the kitchen, planning to help Madam Sun start the fire. ¡°Mother¡­ let me start the fire?¡± Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Madam Sun looked up at Yu Xiaolian. ¡°Then you do it. I¡¯ll go to the well to get water. There¡¯s porridge in the pot. Just boil it. There¡¯s no need to boil too much.¡± After Madam Sun finished giving her instructions, she picked up the carrying pole and two buckets and left. Yu Xiaolian looked at the two flints on the stove and knocked a few times according to the original owner¡¯s memory. Her hand hurt, but she didn¡¯t start the fire. Could it be that using flints to start a fire needed skill? Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t believe it and tried a few more times. In the end, her hand hurt from knocking them, but she did not ignite the fire. ¡°Oh, if only I had a lighter.¡± Just as Yu Xiaolian finished sighing, a red lighter appeared in her hand. Only then did she realize that as long as she thought like this, the things in the convenience store would appear in her hands. Yu Xiaolian was amused. Since she was already here, she would take things as they came. Yu Xiaolian used a lighter to light the firewood under the stove. After boiling the pot, she swept away the broken firewood. At this moment, Madam Sun also came back with two buckets of water. Just as Madam Sun poured the two buckets of water into the large water vat, Madam Cao walked over. ¡°Sister-in-law, this vat is not full.¡± However, Madam Sun placed the shoulder pole at the foot of the wall and did not intend to pick it up again. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already split up, get what you need. I only cooked some porridge and brought back two buckets of water. No matter what, you guys are the ones who took advantage of me.¡± When Madam Cao heard Madam Sun¡¯s words, her expression immediately changed. If Madam Sun did not fill the water vat, her mother-in-law would instruct her to get it. She did not want to go so far to fetch water. ¡°This tank used to hold water belongs to our family. If we lend you the tank, you have to fill it with water. You can¡¯t use our water tank for nothing, right?¡± Madam Sun put the two buckets back and glanced at Madam Cao. ¡°Since Eldest Sister-in-law has calculated so clearly, let¡¯s settle the score properly. In the past, when Changhe was a bailiff in town, your father was sick, but he borrowed a tael of silver from me and hasn¡¯t returned it to me until now. Also, Zishu and Ziyi¡¯s tuition fees have always been paid by Changhe. When do you plan to return them? If you don¡¯t have money, you can use something to cover the debt.¡± Madam Sun¡¯s words were harsh and reasonable. Madam Cao was stunned, but she was not a pushover. She immediately replied loudly, ¡°At that time, we had not split up. Mother asked Changhe to give the money. If you have the ability, go ask Mother.¡± At the mention of Old Madam Yu, Madam Sun was even angrier. All the money that Yu Changhe and Yu Changfu had earned over the years had been handed over to Old Madam Yu. The annual harvest of the family¡¯s farming was also in Old Madam Yu¡¯s hands. How could she not have money? When she thought about how they only got 450 copper coins from the separation, Madam Sun felt aggrieved. However, at this moment, she did not dare to fall out with Old Madam Yu. Once they did, Old Madam Yu would definitely chase their family out. At that time, they would not even have a place to stay. When Madam Cao heard her mention Old Madam Yu, Madam Sun fell silent. She immediately felt a little smug. ¡°You¡¯re talking as if your mother and brother have never spent Changhe¡¯s money. If you ask me, you don¡¯t know how much money you¡¯ve spent behind your family¡¯s back all these years. You still have the cheek to ask me for money. I think we should go to your family to ask for money.¡± When Madam Sun heard Madam Cao¡¯s words, she was furious. She picked up the shoulder pole at the base of the wall and shouted at Madam Cao, ¡°You dare to go? If you dare to find trouble with my mother, I¡¯ll dare to go to Zishu¡¯s school and make your two sons unable to attend school.¡± Madam Sun¡¯s words hit Madam Cao¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel. Madam Cao turned around and ran to the backyard. As she walked, she shouted, ¡°Yu Changfu¡­ Yu Changfu¡­¡± ¡°What now?¡± When Yu Changfu saw Madam Cao¡¯s sullen face, he frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯ve just finished fixing the mud bricks with Changhe. Why did you call me?¡± ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯ve already split up, so you have to take care of yourself. I sprained my waist when I was washing the dishes just now. Hurry up and go to the well to fetch water. If Mother sees that the water vat isn¡¯t full soon, she¡¯ll scold me again.¡± As Madam Cao spoke, she pulled Yu Changfu¡¯s arm forcefully. Yu Changfu turned around and glanced at Yu Changhe. Yu Changhe immediately said, ¡°Big Brother, go ahead. I¡¯ll do the rest myself!¡± Madam Cao gave birth to two sons for Yu Changfu. The eldest son, Yu Zishu, was fifteen this year, and the second son, Yu Ziyi, was eleven this year. On account that Madam Cao had given birth to two sons for him, Yu Changfu usually treated Madam Cao very well. He also followed Madam Cao¡¯s orders when it came to small matters. Yu Zishu and Yu Ziyi were the only two grandsons of the Yu family, so they naturally received the unconditional love of everyone in the Yu family. Among them, the eldest, Yu Zishu, was very talented in studying. He was often praised by the academy teacher, and he was also valued by Old Madam Yu. As for the second son, Yu Ziyi, although he looked smarter, he was unwilling to spend his time studying. A few days ago, he even made a request not to go to school again. Now, the Yu family was not as generous as before. Not only did they provide for their two grandsons to go to school, but they were also about to get Yu Changyu a wife. Therefore, when Yu Ziyi mentioned that he wanted to leave school, Old Madam Yu immediately agreed. However, the tuition fees for this quarter had long been paid. Even if he didn¡¯t go to school, he couldn¡¯t return the money. Therefore, Old Madam Yu asked Yu Ziyi to drop out of school in the autumn. Madam Sun scooped the porridge into a basin and said to Yu Xiaolian, ¡°Go to the backyard and call your father back for dinner!¡± When Yu Xiaolian walked to the backyard, she saw that the wooden stick that Yu Changhe usually used was thrown to the side. Yu Changhe was kneeling on the ground and removing the clay figurine¡¯s mold. As it was difficult for him to move, his legs were covered in mud. Seeing Yu Changhe like this, Yu Xiaolian felt very upset. ¡°Father, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Yu Xiaolian walked over, helped Yu Changhe up, and handed him the wooden stick he usually used. ¡°Lian¡¯er must be hungry. Go and eat first. Don¡¯t worry about me. I have to wash up first. Otherwise, your mother won¡¯t let me in!¡± Yu Changhe smiled. Yu Changhe really had nothing to say to his adopted daughter. One had to know that at this time, the idea of favoring boys over girls was very serious. Who would pick up a girl for no reason? At this time, food was very expensive. No one was willing to have an extra mouth to feed for no reason. Moreover, the conflict between Madam Sun and Yu Changhe was getting deeper and deeper because of her. Perhaps Madam Sun would only be truly happy if she could have a child of her own? However, she remembered that Yu Changhe had died when Yu Xiaolian was 12 years old. He did not have any children. He wondered if her arrival could change Yu Changhe¡¯s original fate. Madam Sun scooped a bowl of porridge for everyone. The porridge was very thin. ¡°We have to eat sparingly, or winter won¡¯t be easy,¡± Madam Sun explained. There were still crops growing on the land that Old Madam Yu had given them, but the food growing on the ground would belong to Old Madam Yu when it was harvested in the autumn. Therefore, they had to survive eating the 200 catties of food Old Madam Yu gave them. Although it was said to be 200 catties of food, Old Madam Yu had given him 200 catties of rice. The rice had rice shells. After grinding off the rice shell, there would only be more than 100 catties left. How could it last until next autumn? According to Madam Sun, these grains would last through this winter. By next spring, they would be able to eat wild vegetables. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yu Xiaolian drank a bowl of porridge and put down her bowl and chopsticks. Although it was called a bowl of porridge, it was actually a bowl of rice soup. Madam Sun glanced at her and said indifferently, ¡°Eat more. There¡¯s no more dinner tonight.¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m full.¡± Madam Sun poured the rice soup in the basin into her bowl and the rest into Yu Changhe¡¯s bowl. ¡°How¡¯s the stove?¡± ¡°The clay is ready. It¡¯ll be under the sun for a day today. We can build the base tomorrow morning. We guarantee that we¡¯ll finish it in the afternoon. Tomorrow, you can go to town and buy the pot. Just install it.¡± Yu Changhe wanted to give Madam Sun some porridge, but Madam Sun avoided him. ¡°Eat more, I¡¯m not hungry!¡± After Madam Sun finished speaking, she finished the rice soup in her bowl in one gulp. ¡°Since Mother said that the crops in the fields don¡¯t belong to us, I won¡¯t help in the fields when they harvest in the autumn. I¡¯ll go to town tomorrow to buy a pot and bring back some embroidery threads.¡± Yu Changhe knew that Madam Sun was planning to do some embroidery work to earn money. Madam Sun¡¯s embroidery skills were not bad, but embroidery work was very tiring for the eyes and the salary was low. If it was in the past, Yu Changhe would definitely not agree to let Madam Sun suffer like this. But now, he didn¡¯t seem to be able to say that she shouldn¡¯t do it. Yu Xiaolian looked at Madam Sun. ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow. I can help you carry your things.¡± Madam Sun thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°We just split up. Our family is indeed lacking a lot of things, but the money we have¡­ Although it¡¯s not enough to buy everything, I definitely won¡¯t be able to carry the things back alone. You can follow me.¡± When she lay in bed at night, Yu Xiaolian thought about the Yu family in her mind and began to think. In the book, Yu Xiaolian was the descendant of the leader of the witch race, but she didn¡¯t know her true identity until her death. After Yu Changhe¡¯s inexplicable death, Yu Xiaolian was sold by Old Madam Yu. The buyer was the male lead, the Prince of Huainan, Jun Mobai. In order to cure the cold illness of his sweetheart, Yu Yanran, Jun Mobai searched for the whereabouts of the mysterious witch. Legend had it that the Witch race was not afraid of cold or poison because their blood was different from ordinary people. It was rumored that the pure blood of the descendants of the Witch race could cure all poisons. In order to successfully buy Yu Xiaolian, Jun Mobai sent someone to secretly kill Yu Changhe. He knew that as long as Yu Changhe died, no one would protect Yu Xiaolian anymore. Later on, in order to make Yu Xiaolian willingly become the antidote for Yu Yanran for a long time, Jun Mobai took Yu Xiaolian as his concubine. It also gave Yu Xiaolian, this poor little girl, the wealth she dreamed of. After Yu Xiaolian gained power, how could she let go of the Yu family who had bullied her? Apart from Madam Sun, who was already half crazy and half stupid and mercifully sent to a nunnery by Yu Xiaolian, everyone else in the Yu family had an incomparably miserable ending. Although she was a concubine, Jun Mobai didn¡¯t plan to dote on Yu Xiaolian. The purpose of Yu Xiaolian¡¯s existence was to give Yu Yanran a bowl of warm blood when her cold illness acted up. Yu Xiaolian¡¯s blood was not as good as Jun Mobai had thought. It couldn¡¯t cure Yu Yanran¡¯s cold illness, but it did have a relief effect. For Yu Yanran¡¯s illness, Jun Mobai had no choice but to endure Yu Xiaolian¡¯s pestering and threats for a long time. Later, when Yu Xiaolian threatened him with her life, Jun Mobai was forced to dote on Yu Xiaolian. After being a concubine for a long time, Yu Xiaolian was used to Jun Mobai doting on Yu Yanran. She began to hate Jun Mobai because of love. However, she couldn¡¯t bear to hurt Jun Mobai, so she secretly added a violent poison to the antidote for Yu Yanran, causing Yu Yanran to vomit blood and her life to be on the line. Then, it was very dramatic. Yu Yanran¡¯s cold illness miraculously recovered because of Yu Xiaolian¡¯s poison. Since Yu Yanran was the female lead, the cannon fodder supporting actress naturally had to receive her retribution. However, because her blood had the special characteristic of detoxification, Jun Mobai didn¡¯t want to waste such a good antidote. Therefore, the Yu Xiaolian in the book died after Jun Mobai drained her blood. After Yu Xiaolian¡¯s death, her unbelievably awesome father of the shaman race finally appeared to avenge his daughter. However, it was impossible for Yu Xiaolian, who was already dead, to know. Yu Xiaolian only read this part of the novel, but she didn¡¯t see the ending. However, it was obvious that Jun Mobai and Yu Yanran were blessed by the protagonist halo. They definitely wouldn¡¯t die. The unlucky one should be Yu Xiaolian¡¯s father, who was determined to avenge his daughter. Yu Xiaolian was lying on the bed, and so were Yu Changhe and Madam Sun. There was a floral curtain between them. At this moment, Yu Xiaolian did not feel sleepy at all. Jun Mobai was the heir of the Duke of Huainan. He was rich and powerful. It would be easy for him to kill Yu Changhe. Two years later, how could she protect Yu Changhe from death? Suddenly, a person¡¯s name flashed through Yu Xiaolian¡¯s mind¡ªJun Yian. Yu Xiaolian smiled. It seemed that she had no choice but to start with him. The next day, in order not to clash with Madam Cao¡¯s breakfast time, Madam Sun prepared breakfast early. It was still watery porridge. After the three of them drank the porridge, Madam Sun took out the string of copper coins from the bed cabinet and placed them in a cloth bag. She told Yu Xiaolian to carry a small bamboo basket, and the mother and daughter set off. The village where the Yu family was located was called Hewanzi. It was not far from town. After crossing the bridge and walking for around ten minutes, they arrived at town. Although Yu Xiaolian was ten years old, this was her first time in town. At this moment, the sun had not completely risen. The sky was still gray, but people were already coming and going in town. At this time, most of the people in the market were bartering. People were used to working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Madam Sun held Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hand and passed through the noisy market to a satin shop. Madam Sun had probably done embroidery work for this shop in the past. As soon as Madam Sun entered, the lady boss of the silk shop recognized Madam Sun and kept praising her for her beautiful embroidery style that was easy to sell. Madam Sun successfully obtained some embroidery threads, handkerchiefs, and sachets. After carefully wrapping them, she placed them into the small bamboo basket on Yu Xiaolian¡¯s back. ¡°Ah, this must be your daughter. This child is strangely handsome. It¡¯s these eyes¡­¡± The lady boss of the silk shop was about to take a closer look at Yu Xiaolian¡¯s eyes when she was shocked and quickly lowered her head. She had been too careless. Perhaps Yu Xiaolian in her previous life had been discovered by Jun Mobai¡¯s people like this. ¡°Mother, my eyes seem to be filled with sand. I¡¯ll wait for you outside!¡± Yu Xiaolian fled out of the silk shop. The lady boss of the silk shop didn¡¯t notice anything wrong. She just felt that Yu Xiaolian, this country girl, had never seen the world. She then said to Madam Sun, ¡°Your girl is already so old. Does she know how to make string bags? Coincidentally, the shop is going to make a batch of string bags recently. I wonder if you two will accept this job?¡± Madam Sun had always wanted to earn more money. How could she not earn the money that came knocking on her door? ¡°I¡¯ll accept it. Both of us will make string bags. I wonder if there will be many jobs? How long can we do it for?¡± In her heart, Madam Sun naturally felt that it was better to do this job for a longer time. This was because not only did they owe money to a few families in the village, but they also did not have any money for seeds next spring. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When Madam Sun came out of the silk shop, Yu Xiaolian could clearly feel that Madam Sun¡¯s mood had improved. ¡°This Lady Boss gave us some work to do. We can do it for a month, and she didn¡¯t even confiscate the deposit.¡± Madam Sun happily placed the things used for the string bags into Yu Xiaolian¡¯s bamboo basket. ¡°Is it heavy? Why don¡¯t I carry it?¡± When Madam Sun saw that the small bamboo basket on Yu Xiaolian¡¯s back was about to be filled, she reached out to take it. Yu Xiaolian shook her head. ¡°No need, Mother. I can carry it. You still have to carry the iron pot later. Save your strength!¡± When Madam Sun heard Yu Xiaolian¡¯s words, she didn¡¯t insist. She held Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hand and entered the market again. An iron pot, three sets of new bowls and chopsticks, two medium-sized porcelain jars, a catty of salt, a bottle of soy sauce, and a piece of lard. Madam Sun shuttled through the market with familiarity and quickly bought everything. In the end, Madam Sun went to the provision store to buy lamp oil and red paper before bringing Yu Xiaolian home. The iron pot was tied to Madam Sun¡¯s back with a rope she had brought from home. She was carrying a heavy porcelain jar in her hands, which was filled with some scattered things. As for the bowls and chopsticks, Yu Xiaolian placed them in her small basket. Madam Sun was carrying something on her back and holding something in her hand. It probably weighed dozens of kilograms, but she was still much faster than Yu Xiaolian. She would quickly walk a long distance away, then put the jar on the ground, put her hands on her waist, and wait for Yu Xiaolian, who had fallen behind. Yu Xiaolian really admired Madam Sun. She carried so many things and could still walk as if she was flying. She was almost comparable to the weight training of the special forces. Yu Xiaolian couldn¡¯t do it. She felt that the two ropes on her shoulders were hurting her shoulders, forcing her to place her hands under the ropes. After walking and stopping, the two of them returned to Hewanzi Village. As soon as they entered the village, they saw a few women chatting under the willow tree at the entrance of the village. Some of them were holding the soles of their shoes while others were holding an embroidery shed and doing embroidery work. As they worked, their mouths did not slack off. They talked about some recent matters in the village. The biggest news in the village recently was that Yu Xiaolian, who had never fallen sick, had fallen seriously ill, but she didn¡¯t die and came back. The other was that Cripple Yu had been kicked out of the family by his mother. Before Yu Xiaolian and Madam Sun walked in, they heard them talking about their family. ¡°Sigh, this Yu Changhe has separated from his family. Why didn¡¯t he settle the money he owes me?¡± ¡°Can he return it to you? I guess eating will be a problem in the future!¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be. I lent it to their family out of kindness. My money doesn¡¯t come from the wind! They can¡¯t cheat me of my money.¡± ¡°He also owes my family. When he borrowed it, he said that he would return it in a few days. How many days has it been? Let¡¯s go to his house to ask for money later?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go together. I don¡¯t think he will dare not to return it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. They¡¯re in a difficult time now. Back when Changhe was a bailiff, he helped us a lot. If you want to go, go. I¡¯m not going. Anyway, my family isn¡¯t in a hurry to spend it. It¡¯s fine to take a while.¡± Madam Sun heard their conversation from afar. When she and Yu Xiaolian approached, Madam Sun cleared her throat and said, ¡°Aunts, Sister-in-law, I just came back from town with embroidery work. After I finish this batch of embroidery work, I¡¯ll have money in my hands. When the time comes, I¡¯ll definitely be the first to return the money to you. If you¡¯re worried, come to my house now and let Changhe write an IOU for you so that you can rest assured.¡± Although Yu Changhe had not studied for many years, he could still write an IOU. When the few women and old women heard Madam Sun¡¯s words, they immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. The neighbor of the Yu family, Madam Feng, who was usually on good terms with Madam Sun, saw that Madam Sun was carrying a pot and heavy things in her hand. She immediately said, ¡°Why are you carrying so many things? Put them down and rest. I¡¯m going home too. Give them to me. I¡¯ll help you carry some.¡± Madam Sun put down the two jars in her hand and panted heavily. ¡°Everyone is willing to lend me money because you trust me and help me. Changhe and I will remember this favor in our hearts. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely return the money, but I¡¯ll have to return it a few days later. If there¡¯s anything urgent, I still have dozens of copper coins. I can return them first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no hurry¡­ There¡¯s no hurry¡­ You can return mine whenever you want.¡± ¡°So is mine. You can return it when you have it.¡± When the women saw how magnanimous Madam Sun was, they all expressed that they would not go to the Yu family to collect the debt. Someone asked curiously, ¡°You¡¯ve just split up and only have a few dozen copper coins left. How much did your mother-in-law give you?¡± Madam Sun picked up the two jars again. ¡°She didn¡¯t give much. I went to town today, so there¡¯s nothing left. My family is waiting to use the pot at home, so I¡¯ll go back first!¡± After Madam Sun walked over with Yu Xiaolian, Madam Feng also caught up from behind. She took a jar from Madam Sun¡¯s hand and held it in her arms. As she walked, she said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing for you to be separated from your mother-in-law and the others. I heard that your sister-in-law who hasn¡¯t entered the family is not easy to get along with. She¡¯s a powerful character. It might be a good thing to be separated. ¡°If you have any difficulties at home, come to my house. My husband has already instructed me to keep an eye on your house. I¡¯m just afraid that if you have any difficulties, you¡¯ll be too embarrassed to visit.¡± The man from the Feng family was called Zhao Kuo. He and Yu Changhe had been playmates since they were young. Yu Changhe went to town to become a worker. As he grew older, he was promoted to a bailiff. Later on, he helped his childhood friend, Zhao Kuo, become a bailiff. Therefore, over the years, Zhao Kuo and Yu Changhe¡¯s relationship became better and better. However, he could not take advantage of the same person. After borrowing money so many times, Yu Changhe was too embarrassed to enter the Zhao family again. Therefore, he owed the other families a little, but he still owed the Zhao family the most. Madam Sun pointed at the things on Yu Xiaolian¡¯s back, indicating that after finishing the embroidery work, she could repay the other families, but she still owed the Zhao family. Madam Feng naturally wouldn¡¯t mind if Madam Sun didn¡¯t return the money. Her husband¡¯s job was two taels of silver a month, but Yu Changhe had found it for her. She had always wanted to find an opportunity to repay him. When they arrived at the Yu Residence, Yu Changhe was already waiting there. He first took off the basket on Yu Xiaolian, who was walking in front, and then removed the big pot on Madam Sun¡¯s back. Madam Feng also placed the jar on the ground and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call me when you¡¯re doing embroidery. I want to learn new tricks so that we can work together and have something to talk about.¡± Madam Sun nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll bring my things to your house tomorrow.¡± Madam Sun and Yu Changhe carried the big pot to the backyard together. Yu Changhe dragged his crippled leg and walked with great difficulty. However, no one from the Yu family came out to help. When they reached the backyard, Yu Changhe pointed at the wooden shelf above the stove and said, ¡°I have to build a shed. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to cook if it rains. Without a shed, I won¡¯t be able to cook in winter. It¡¯s too cold.¡± Madam Sun took a look and said, ¡°I¡¯ll build it with you later. Let¡¯s put the pot on first and see if it¡¯s good to use?¡± Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After Yu Changhe and Madam Sun worked together to set up the pot, they started to build a wooden shed without stopping for a moment. Madam Sun jumped up and down to do some work that was inconvenient for Yu Changhe. When there was something out of reach, Yu Changhe squatted down and let Madam Sun step on him. Madam Sun did not stand on ceremony either. The two of them worked very well together. Yu Xiaolian would occasionally help pass things over. After laying straw on the shed and using a simple door to block the wind, a kitchen was completed. ¡°Why did you buy these two jars?¡± Yu Changhe asked. As Madam Sun washed her hands, she replied, ¡°We can¡¯t just eat porridge all the time. I¡¯m thinking of making some pickled vegetables. Coincidentally, the wild vegetables aren¡¯t old yet. If we marinate two jars, there will be a dish to eat in winter.¡± When Yu Changhe heard Madam Sun¡¯s words, he felt a little upset. When he earned a lot of money, he would hand it all over to his mother. Occasionally, he would secretly give Madam Sun a few copper coins behind Old Madam Yu¡¯s back. If Old Madam Yu found out, she would also make a fuss. That year, it was Madam Sun¡¯s birthday. Coincidentally, Yu Changhe had just received his monthly allowance, so he bought a silver hairpin for Madam Sun. Old Madam Yu caused trouble for many days in a row because of this silver hairpin, and kept finding fault with Madam Sun. ¡°Following me has made you suffer.¡± Madam Sun glanced at Yu Changhe. ¡°Since you know, why didn¡¯t you ask your mother for that gold ingot yesterday?¡± Yu Changhe lowered his head. ¡°I mentioned it in private. Mother said that she wanted to keep it for Changyu to marry. She told me not to mention the gold in front of the village chief.¡± ¡°If she doesn¡¯t let you mention it, you won¡¯t? You¡¯re really obedient!¡± Yu Changhe continued, ¡°Mother said that if I mentioned it, she would chase us out.¡± ¡°So be it. That half of the gold is worth dozens of taels of silver. With silver, how can there be no place to stay?¡± When Yu Changhe picked up Yu Xiaolian, she had ten gold ingots with her. If they were exchanged for silver, it would be a hundred taels of silver. However, Yu Changhe didn¡¯t even compete with Old Madam Yu. Although he was separated from the family, he did not leave home. If he really fell out with his mother because of the gold ingots and left home, he would have completely cut ties with her. He didn¡¯t want to. Yu Changhe knew that he was in the wrong, so he lowered his head to clean up the broken wooden planks around him and did not reply to Madam Sun. He still sided more with his mother. How could Madam Sun not be angry? Seeing that Yu Changhe was silent, Madam Sun ignored him. Instead, she adjusted her mood and began to clean up the mud and soil in the kitchen. She set up a few boards and placed the seasonings she had bought on them. After some thought, she put them away. The shed could only block the wind and was not tight. If it rained, the seasonings would not be usable. It seemed that she could only put these seasonings in the house first. Every time he cooked, she would go in and bring them over. However, with her family¡¯s current conditions, they could only stir-fry wild vegetables to eat. There was nothing else. As for the vegetables in the vegetable garden, Old Madam Yu did not allow them to pick them casually. Yu Xiaolian had drunk watery porridge in the morning and accompanied Madam Sun to town. At this moment, the food in her stomach had long been digested. The fragrance of Madam Cao cooking wafted over, and Yu Xiaolian¡¯s stomach growled uncontrollably. Yu Xiaolian¡¯s stomach growled, and Madam Sun naturally heard it. ¡°Go and bring some firewood over. I want to put the lard out and see if this pot cooks well.¡± Yu Xiaolian looked up at the sun. It was only noon. Yesterday, Madam Sun said that they would only eat two meals a day in the future, so they should eat dinner later. Madam Sun shouldn¡¯t be cooking so early. Yu Xiaolian knew that Madam Sun had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She picked up the empty basket beside her. ¡°Mother, I want to eat wild vegetables today. I¡¯ll go dig some. Can you cook later?¡± Madam Sun looked at Yu Xiaolian in surprise. She felt that she was a little different from before. In the past, because Madam Sun was getting colder and colder to her, it had been a long time since she called Madam Sun Mother. But today, Yu Xiaolian had called her mother several times, and in an affectionate tone. ¡°Then be careful. Go and come back quickly. Don¡¯t go east of the forest. Hunter Jiang dug many traps in that area. It¡¯ll be over if you fall into them.¡± Madam Sun softened her tone and took the small bags of seasoning into the house. Yu Xiaolian carried a small basket and a blunt kitchen knife to the back mountain of Hewanzi. Although the back mountain was not big, it was connected to a mountain range. Overall, it was not small. However, the people in their village only wandered around the nearest mountain. Very few people were willing to go to the second mountain. It was midsummer now, and the water plants were lush. Yu Xiaolian thought that wild vegetables should be everywhere, but in the end, Yu Xiaolian searched at the foot of the mountain for a long time under the scorching sun. It was not easy for her to dig up a few wild vegetables. It seemed that the nearby wild vegetables had long been dug up by the villagers. Glancing at the wild vegetables in the basket, Yu Xiaolian felt a little embarrassed to go back like this. She looked up at the lush mountains. She should be able to dig more in the mountains. Yu Xiaolian made up her mind and followed the dirt road up the mountain. After entering the dense forest, not only did the number of wild vegetables increase, but the sun also couldn¡¯t reach her. Yu Xiaolian happily dug up the wild vegetables. She thought that since Madam Sun said that she wanted to marinate two jars of pickled vegetables, she had to dig more back. After digging a basket full of wild vegetables at the edge of the dense forest, Yu Xiaolian realized that she had been out for too long. Just as she was about to carry the basket down the mountain, she saw a white mushroom from the corner of her eye. Yu Xiaolian was overjoyed. This mushroom was a good thing. If she didn¡¯t pick it back today, it might be picked by someone else the next time she came. Moreover, this kind of white mushroom tasted delicious. Without hesitation, Yu Xiaolian poured out some wild vegetables from the basket, leaving a place for the mushrooms. Perhaps it was because it had just rained not long ago, but these mushrooms had just grown. They had not grown too big yet. They were all small and difficult to pick. However, Yu Xiaolian still dragged the small basket and plucked them one by one. When she heard the strange sounds of animals, she realized that she had been brought to the edge of the mountain by the mushrooms. Thinking that it was not safe deep in the mountains, she did not dare to go deeper. She quickly carried the basket and walked back. However, she had just taken a few steps back with the basket when she missed a step and fell into a hunting trap. Yu Xiaolian fell flat on her back, and the wild vegetables and mushrooms in the basket fell to the ground. Fortunately, there were no barbs in this pit. Otherwise, her life would have been lost here. This hunting pit was nearly three meters deep. Yu Xiaolian was a little panicked. She knew that there was no one in this deep mountain forest, but she had no choice but to shout for help, ¡°Help¡­ Help¡­ Is anyone here?¡± After shouting for a long time, he saw that the light was getting dimmer and dimmer, but no one came. If this continued, the sky would turn dark. Because of the dense forest, the light here was not very good. In a while, she would probably have to spend the night here. Yu Xiaolian found the kitchen knife and began to carve a soil ladder on the wall of the pit. Since no one came, she could only rely on herself. After digging two earthen ladders, Yu Xiaolian felt that the originally weak light was blocked by someone. She stopped digging and looked up. Someone was looking up at her, but she couldn¡¯t see his face against the light. However, no matter who it was, she was saved. ¡°Help!¡± ¡°You broke my trap?¡± That person¡¯s voice was cold. Yu Xiaolian could hear the displeasure in his voice, but she still explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I accidentally fell in.¡± I haven¡¯t even argued with you about falling into the pit, and you¡¯re already unhappy. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Jiang Lin looked down at Yu Xiaolian with a displeased expression. ¡°I was wondering who it was. Isn¡¯t this the little unlucky star of the Yu family?¡± Hearing his words, Yu Xiaolian revealed a smile. ¡°You¡¯re Hunter Jiang¡¯s son, Little Hunter Jiang, right? Can you save me first?¡± Little Hunter Jiang? Jiang Lin frowned. ¡°I can save you, but how are you going to repay me for breaking my trap?¡± Yu Xiaolian was stunned. ¡°You set a trap and caused me to fall in. My entire body hurts from the fall. I haven¡¯t even asked you for medical fees, and you still want to blame me?¡± Jiang Lin was about to pass the rope to her and tie it to his waist. He chuckled. ¡°Medical expenses?¡± ¡°I think you want to stay here for the wolf¡¯s dinner tonight, right? Sigh, there are too few people who are as considerate of wild animals as you are now. Forget it, I won¡¯t stop you from being food for the tiger. You can continue to stay here and pretend that I never came.¡± Before Jiang Lin could finish speaking, the shadow above Yu Xiaolian¡¯s head disappeared. Yu Xiaolian shouted anxiously, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll agree to whatever conditions you want, but let me make it clear first. I don¡¯t have money.¡± With Yu Xiaolian¡¯s shout, Jiang Lin really didn¡¯t leave. He squatted down and looked at Yu Xiaolian in the trap with a teasing expression, ¡°You¡­ really agree to any condition?¡± Yu Xiaolian closed her eyes and steeled her heart. ¡°Tell me!¡± Just as Yu Xiaolian thought that Jiang Lin would make some overboard request, a hemp rope was thrown down and hit Yu Xiaolian¡¯s head. She looked up and saw Jiang Lin holding the other end of the hemp rope and looking at her with a wicked smile. ¡°What are you standing there for? Are you coming up or not? If not, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Yu Xiaolian smiled apologetically. She first put the wild vegetables and mushrooms into the bamboo basket and tied the basket to the rope before letting Jiang Lin pull it up. When Jiang Lin put down the rope for the second time, Yu Xiaolian grabbed the rope with both hands and was dragged up by Jiang Lin. When Yu Xiaolian was lying on the ground, panting and sighing, Jiang Lin suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the foot of the mountain tomorrow morning. Use the excuse of digging vegetables to come out early.¡± This person was really¡­ If there were no benefits, she did not want to wake up early! We¡¯re all from the same village. What¡¯s wrong with helping me? Besides, you were the one who dug this trap. However, since she had agreed, Yu Xiaolian would not deny it. Yu Xiaolian held the bamboo basket in her hand, ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± Jiang Lin didn¡¯t even look at Yu Xiaolian as he walked forward. ¡°Remember to come out early tomorrow morning.¡± Yu Xiaolian and Jiang Lin walked side by side. When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Yu Changhe dragging his crippled leg and looking around anxiously. ¡°You¡¯re making the adults worry too much. You shouldn¡¯t have come back so late after digging wild vegetables. It¡¯s so late. Do you know how dangerous it is on the mountain? Fortunately, I met Jiang Lin. He was kind enough to help me find you.¡± On the way back, Yu Changhe kept scolding Yu Xiaolian. Although his tone was impatient, every word was filled with concern. ¡°Jiang Lin? Did you ask him to look for me on the mountain?¡± ¡°Who else would be willing to go up the mountain at this time of night?¡± Yu Changhe took the basket from Yu Xiaolian. Feeling the weight of the basket, he said, ¡°Dig less next time. If you dig too much, you won¡¯t be able to lift it.¡± It turned out that Jiang Lin already knew that she might have fallen into a trap, but he still dared to negotiate with her. Hmph! She had originally planned to return the favor tomorrow morning, but it seemed like there was no need. When Yu Xiaolian and Yu Changhe returned home, the sky was already dark. Madam Sun had already prepared dinner. Initially, she thought that dinner would be plain porridge, but it turned out not to be the case. Madam Sun used wild vegetables and corn noodles to make vegetable dumplings and a pot of wild vegetable soup. There was also a small plate of fragrant lard dregs beside it. As she waiting for Yu Xiaolian to come back for dinner, the vegetable dumplings that had been prepared long ago had already turned cold. Although Yu Changhe had already dusted off Yu Xiaolian¡¯s clothes on the way back, Madam Sun still noticed that her clothes were dirty. Seeing Madam Sun staring at her clothes, Yu Xiaolian hurriedly said, ¡°Mother, I can wash the clothes myself. I¡¯ll go to the river to wash the clothes tomorrow morning.¡± Madam Sun said coldly, ¡°Wash your hands and eat!¡± The family ate dinner in silence. For some reason, Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t dare to show off the mushrooms she had picked to Madam Sun, nor did she dare to talk to Madam Sun. She felt that Madam Sun¡¯s entire body was emitting cold air. Yu Xiaolian chewed on the bitter vegetable dumpling in her mouth. From time to time, she would pick up her bowl and take a sip of soup to smoothen it down. To be honest, this thing was really not delicious. She ate until her throat hurt. Yu Changhe placed a piece of lard in Yu Xiaolian¡¯s bowl. ¡°Eat this. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Seeing Yu Changhe looking at her expectantly, Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t reject Yu Changhe¡¯s good intentions. She put the lard into her mouth. ¡°It smells so good!¡± Yu Changhe smiled and pushed the lard in front of Yu Xiaolian. ¡°Eat more.¡± Yu Xiaolian glanced at Madam Sun¡¯s cold aura and didn¡¯t dare to eat too much lard. After eating a vegetable dumpling, she drank two bowls of wild vegetable soup. She had no choice. Without soup, she could not swallow it at all. After dinner, Madam Sun took out the embroidery handkerchiefs and sachets. When Yu Changhe saw this, he said, ¡°It¡¯s already dark. Let¡¯s do it tomorrow. Doing this at night will tire your eyes.¡± Madam Sun¡¯s hands did not stop. ¡°Go boil some water. The two of us will wipe our bodies later.¡± Thinking about how Yu Xiaolian had fallen into the pit and was covered in dirt, Yu Changhe agreed and walked out. Madam Sun took out the things she had used to make the string beds and sat near the window. There was still some faint light there. Madam Sun didn¡¯t ask Yu Xiaolian to help her. After sitting down, she started working without saying a word. When Madam Sun finished making one, Yu Xiaolian took it in her hand and looked at it. Only then did she understand that Madam Sun was making something similar to a Chinese knot. There was a gap in the middle of this thing, but the size could be adjusted. It was probably used to match different jade pendants. Yu Xiaolian also knew how to make this thing, but she wasn¡¯t as good as Madam Sun. Thinking that it was too slow for Madam Sun to do it alone, Yu Xiaolian was about to reach out for the colorful rope when Madam Sun stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it if you haven¡¯t washed your hands.¡± Yu Xiaolian suddenly blushed. She had just finished eating, and her hands weren¡¯t dirty. During the day, Madam Sun was clearly amiable to her. Why did she seem like a different person at night? Yu Xiaolian went to scoop water and wash her hands again. Then, she went to get those colored ropes. Madam Sun didn¡¯t say anything, but they had only woven for a while before the sky turned dark. Yu Changhe carried the bucket into the house and warmed the water. He smiled and said, ¡°You two don¡¯t have to work anymore. Take a shower.¡± As he spoke, Yu Changhe walked over to the oil lamp and lit it up. Madam Sun frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t light the lights. We¡¯ll wash what we can see.¡± Yu Changhe smiled. ¡°Light it up. The two of you, hurry up and shower. I¡¯ll keep watch at the door for you.¡± Madam Sun had just finished making one string bag in her hand. She carefully put it away and said to Yu Xiaolian, ¡°Go wash up first. I¡¯ll find you a change of clothes.¡± As she spoke, Madam Sun opened the small door of the bed cabinet and took out a set of washed-out clothes for Yu Xiaolian. Yu Xiaolian took it, but did not enter the bathtub for a long time. Madam Sun looked at her in surprise and seemed to understand Yu Xiaolian¡¯s thoughts. She closed the door and left. Only then did Yu Xiaolian happily take a hot shower. She wouldn¡¯t have known if she hadn¡¯t taken a shower, but when she did, she was shocked. There were too many bruises on her body. The bucket of water was filled with mud after her shower. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The next morning, after breakfast, Yu Xiaolian avoided Yu Changhe and Madam Sun and secretly put on black contact lenses. She took the clothes she had changed out of yesterday and went to the river. Fortunately, in the past, everyone in the village avoided her. Other than the Yu family, no one looked at her eyes carefully. She knew that Jiang Lin was definitely waiting for her at the foot of the mountain, but she did not want to go. Thinking of Jiang Lin¡¯s behavior yesterday, she was furious. She had fallen into the pit he had dug. Wasn¡¯t it only right for him to get her out? Why should she repay him? Perhaps it was because the river was too cold in the morning, but there was no one by the river at all. Only Yu Xiaolian was washing clothes. Yu Xiaolian had transmigrated for many days, but she had never really seen what the original owner looked like. Out of curiosity, she looked at the river. Well, she had good facial features, big eyes, cherry lips, and a delicate nose. However, she was a little tanned and thin. Yu Xiaolian was quite satisfied with the appearance of this body. If the Host wasn¡¯t good-looking, Jun Mobai probably wouldn¡¯t have taken her as a concubine. Later on, he doted on her. Although there was a reason why the Host threatened him, Jun Mobai probably wouldn¡¯t have taken her in if the Host was ugly. Yu Xiaolian was not used to the clothes that Madam Sun and the others used. Her clothes were rubbed bit by bit with her hands. Although the river water was a little cold, fortunately, it was still summer, so she could still bear it. After Yu Xiaolian finished washing her clothes, she picked up the wooden basin and planned to go home. Halfway there, she saw Jiang Lin leaning against a tree in front of her with his arms crossed. It seemed like he was waiting for her. Just as Yu Xiaolian was about to turn a blind eye and walk past him, Jiang Lin suddenly said, ¡°Is this how you repay your savior? As expected of the unlucky one. You¡¯re really cold-blooded and heartless.¡± Yu Xiaolian stopped in her tracks and turned around. ¡°Even if you hadn¡¯t come yesterday, I could have gone out myself. It would have just taken some effort. I wouldn¡¯t have lost my life.¡± Jiang Lin stepped forward and approached Yu Xiaolian, ¡°So, you don¡¯t plan to admit what you promised me yesterday?¡± ¡°My father was the one who asked you to look for me. If you want a favor, you should look for him.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why.¡± Jiang Lin stroked his chin and smiled. ¡°If I say that you won¡¯t regret going out with me today, will you go?¡± Yu Xiaolian raised her eyebrows. ¡°My life is cheap. Good things don¡¯t come to me.¡± ¡°As far as I know, with your family¡¯s current situation, getting through the winter this year is a problem. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come? This might be a chance to make a fortune.¡± Hearing Jiang Lin¡¯s words, Yu Xiaolian seriously examined Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. He was tall and had average looks. His hair was messy like a chicken¡¯s nest, giving off a dirty and hooligan feeling. Looking at his body, there was a long hemp rope wrapped around his waist. He was wearing a short coat with no sleeves, revealing two thick arms. The coat was also covered with big patches and was not much better than Yu Xiaolian¡¯s clothes. ¡°If there¡¯s a good chance to get rich, why are you looking for me?¡± Yu Xiaolian naturally didn¡¯t believe that something had fallen into her lap. Jiang Lin looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, he leaned close to Yu Xiaolian¡¯s ear and whispered. When Yu Xiaolian heard Jiang Lin¡¯s words, her eyes lit up and she said excitedly, ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll come after I send the clothes home.¡± As soon as Yu Xiaolian entered the courtyard, she couldn¡¯t wait to hang the clothes. Just as she was about to run, she hurriedly took the basket and wooden knife from yesterday. The things in the basket were already gone. They must have been used by Madam Sun. Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t see Madam Sun, so she could only ask Yu Changhe, who was weaving a basket with willow branches in the corner of the courtyard, ¡°Father, where¡¯s my mother?¡± The wicker baskets made by Yu Changhe were both sturdy and beautiful, but each basket could only be sold for about five to six copper coins. This morning, Yu Changhe had already woken up at dawn. Until now, he had already woven three baskets. Thinking that he was about to get fifteen copper coins, Yu Changhe was in a good mood. When he saw Yu Xiaolian asking him, he smiled and said, ¡°Your mother went to the Zhao family to do embroidery.¡± Seeing Yu Xiaolian carrying the basket, she asked again, ¡°Are you going up the mountain to dig wild vegetables again?¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. ¡°Have you already marinated the ones dug yesterday? I¡¯ll go dig more today and ask my mother to marinate more. That way we will have vegetables to go with rice in winter.¡± Yu Changhe smiled and instructed, ¡°Go ahead. Remember not to head east. Come back early, okay?¡± Yu Xiaolian agreed one by one. After leaving the Yu family¡¯s courtyard, she carried the basket and ran happily towards the foot of the mountain. Jiang Lin still had a long hemp rope wrapped around his waist and was spinning the scimitar in his hand in boredom. When he saw Yu Xiaolian coming out with a basket, he knew that she had come out in the name of digging wild vegetables. He didn¡¯t say anything else and took Yu Xiaolian¡¯s basket in his hand. Jiang Lin walked in front, and Yu Xiaolian followed closely behind. Occasionally, in places with dense vegetation, Jiang Lin would use his scimitar to slash a few times, so that his clothes wouldn¡¯t be wet by the morning dew. After walking for more than an hour, Yu Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How far is it?¡± Jiang Lin did not stop walking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired?¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. ¡°A little.¡± After all, they had been walking on the mountain path for so long. Not only was it rugged, but the weeds that were as tall as a person were also often blocking them. It was even more tiring to walk than usual. Yu Xiaolian pointed at a tree stump that had been cut down. ¡°Sit down and rest for a while before leaving, okay?¡± Yu Xiaolian was about to walk over and sit down when Jiang Lin grabbed her arm and pulled her up. ¡°This is Grandpa Mountain God¡¯s dining table. You can¡¯t sit here.¡± Yu Xiaolian was so tired that her legs went weak. She didn¡¯t care about Grandpa Mountain God¡¯s dining table. She just wanted to find a place to sit for a while and rest her feet. ¡°How can you be so superstitious at such a young age!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you believe that Grandpa Mountain God really exists?¡± Jiang Lin was shocked. For example, he and his father hunted for a living and relied on the mountains. There was no doubt about the existence of the mountain god. Yu Xiaolian wanted to say, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± However, when she thought about how the wrong soul was called for no reason, she swallowed her words. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll sit on the floor!¡± Yu Xiaolian sat down on the grass. Fortunately, there was no dew on the grass. ¡°How much farther?¡± ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll be there after crossing this mountain!¡± Jiang Lin also sat on the grass beside Yu Xiaolian. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯m lying to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an unlucky star. If you¡¯re not afraid of bad luck, what am I afraid of?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Haha, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so bold. I¡¯ve told my father many times, but he didn¡¯t allow me to come. As soon as I told you, you came.¡± Yu Xiaolian casually picked up the weeds beside her. ¡°Let¡¯s agree that if there¡¯s really something good, we¡¯ll split it equally.¡± Jiang Lin patted his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There will be something good inside.¡± Yu Xiaolian was skeptical of Jiang Lin¡¯s words. If there was really something good, why was Hunter Jiang so afraid of it? Regardless of whether it was taboo or not, they had already walked halfway. She could not go back on her word. No matter what, she had to take a look. Jiang Lin suddenly took out an oil paper bag from his pocket and handed it to Yu Xiaolian, ¡°Here!¡± Yu Xiaolian opened it and saw that it was actually a big yellow drumstick. She subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. ¡°Did you specially bring it for me?¡± Jiang Lin shook his head. ¡°I brought it for myself.¡± ¡°Then why did you give it to me?¡± Jiang Lin turned his head to avoid Yu Xiaolian¡¯s scrutinizing gaze. ¡°Just eat it if I give it to you. Why are you talking so much nonsense?¡± Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Ever since Yu Xiaolian transmigrated here, she had never eaten meat. She had only taken a small bite of yesterday¡¯s lard dregs. Now that an alluring chicken drumstick was placed in her hand, did she have a reason to refuse? Nothing! Yu Xiaolian took a big bite of the chicken drumstick. Fragrant, so fragrant! Even if there were no seasonings, this drumstick was very fragrant. A pheasant was better than a feed chicken! When Jiang Lin saw Yu Xiaolian wolfing down the drumstick, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. ¡°If you want meat in the future, come to my house to look for me. We don¡¯t have anything else, but we have enough meat!¡± Yu Xiaolian threw away the chicken bone and stood up from the ground. She patted the grass on her butt and said, ¡°The villagers are wary of me, but you¡¯re not afraid.¡± Jiang Lin also stood up, holding Yu Xiaolian¡¯s basket in his hand as he walked in front. ¡°Heh¡­ Who do you think you are? I¡¯m not even afraid of the Grass Ghost Granny¡¯s tomb, so why would I be afraid of a little girl like you?¡± Yu Xiaolian smiled. Jiang Lin was superstitious, but he wasn¡¯t afraid of the Grass Ghost Granny. She couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t superstitious because he believed in the mountain god. Yu Xiaolian and Jiang Lin walked for about an hour before arriving at the Grass Ghost Granny¡¯s tomb that Jiang Lin had mentioned. Fortunately, the journey was relatively safe. They did not encounter any large wild animals, but they saw many wild rabbits and squirrels. In the past, Jiang Lin had heard from his father that there was a huge tomb on the second mountain. The owner of the tomb was a grass ghost woman who was good at witchcraft. This grass ghost woman was a dignified person when she was alive. She was rich and powerful. Jiang Lin had been thinking about this tomb for a long time. Some time ago, he finally found the location of the tomb. However, he had spent a lot of effort to dig a small gap under the stone door of the tomb. Jiang Lin was tall and strong, so he really couldn¡¯t enter. However, he couldn¡¯t wait to know if there was really anything valuable in the tomb, so he looked for the petite and skinny Yu Xiaolian. Jiang Lin pointed at a hole in the lower right corner of the stone door and said to Yu Xiaolian, ¡°Crawl in and take a look. If there¡¯s really something inside, it won¡¯t be in vain. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already used wormwood to smoke this place several times. Even if that grass ghost woman left some worms or something, they would have long been smoked to death by me.¡± Yu Xiaolian lay on the ground and looked into the crack, but it was dark inside and she couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. Jiang Lin said again, ¡°It¡¯s too strenuous to chisel this stone door. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to share this finding with me. Do you dare to enter?¡± Yu Xiaolian had read the Grave Robber¡¯s Chronicles in her previous life and was also deeply attracted by the plot. Although she was a little uneasy now, she was more excited about the unknown. Jiang Lin took out a candle from his pocket and handed it to Yu Xiaolian. ¡°I even specially prepared a candle for you. Go in and take a look. Do you dare?¡± Yu Xiaolian glanced at the candle in Jiang Lin¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t reach out to take it. She pulled away the unburnt wormwood from the gap of the stone door and crawled in without saying a word. In the blink of an eye, only Yu Xiaolian¡¯s calf was exposed. Jiang Lin said anxiously, ¡°Hey¡­ aren¡¯t you going to take the candle? If you don¡¯t take the candle, you won¡¯t be able to see anything inside!¡± Jiang Lin passed the candle through the crack and threw the fire starter in. Seeing Yu Xiaolian pick up the candle, Jiang Lin shouted again, ¡°It¡¯s dark inside. Be careful!¡± As soon as Yu Xiaolian entered the tomb, she felt a chill coming from the depths of the tomb. Yu Xiaolian was rooted to the ground and didn¡¯t dare to move. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a trace of fear. However, when she thought about how she could be considered to have died once, and that she had specialized in forensics in her previous life, she couldn¡¯t be afraid at this time. Yu Xiaolian encouraged herself in her heart, and quickly mustered her courage and walked in. Instead of lighting a candle, she took a flashlight from the space. It was much brighter than a candle. Yu Xiaolian waved her flashlight around. Instead of calling this a tomb, it was more like a natural cave. The owner of the tomb had used this natural cave to rest here. There was an iron gate in front of Yu Xiaolian, but there was a large gap in the iron railing. Yu Xiaolian easily entered. Patting the rust on her body, Yu Xiaolian continued to walk deeper into the cave. The deeper she went, the colder it became. The light footsteps had a long echo, making one¡¯s scalp tingle. Suddenly, Yu Xiaolian¡¯s flashlight shone on a pile of bottles. She paused for a moment and did not dare to go over to check. After all, Jiang Lin said that the owner of this tomb was a very powerful grass ghost woman who raised Gu worms. If these bottles and jars were filled with Gu worms, her life would be over. Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t move those things, and continued to move forward. She turned a fork in the road, and a large iron door appeared in front of her again. There was a large rusty lock on the iron door. The iron door was neat and flat without any dents. She could tell that it was thick. The coffin of the grass ghost woman should be behind the iron door, right? Yu Xiaolian tried to pull the rusty lock, but the iron door didn¡¯t move at all. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t open it, she decided to return the way she came. Walking to the pile of bottles, Yu Xiaolian casually touched a small white porcelain bottle. After all, she had come here. She could not return empty-handed. She was actually quite curious about what was inside. When they were about to reach the stone door, Yu Xiaolian heard Jiang Lin¡¯s uneasy call. She hurriedly replied, ¡°I¡¯m back. Move aside. I¡¯ll climb out.¡± As soon as Yu Xiaolian entered, Jiang Lin regretted it. He was afraid that something would happen to Yu Xiaolian, and his heart was in his mouth. When Yu Xiaolian crawled out of the hole and the sunlight shone on her body, she felt relieved. Sigh, she was really not suitable for such a worrying business. ¡°How is it? Is there any treasure inside?¡± Jiang Lin pulled Yu Xiaolian¡¯s arm and asked anxiously. Yu Xiaolian shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s a big iron gate inside. With our ability, we definitely can¡¯t open it.¡± When Jiang Lin heard this, he immediately drooped his head. ¡°Then we came for nothing?¡± Yu Xiaolian handed the white porcelain bottle in her hand to Jiang Lin. ¡°We didn¡¯t come here for nothing. I picked this up.¡± Jiang Lin immediately took the porcelain bottle excitedly and looked around for a long time. Just as he was about to pull out the stopper to take a look, Yu Xiaolian stopped him. ¡°Be careful. What if there are Gu worms inside?¡± Yu Xiaolian¡¯s words almost caused Jiang Lin to break the porcelain bottle. Fortunately, he caught it firmly. ¡°You have a point.¡± Jiang Lin was still staring at the porcelain bottle without blinking, but he did not dare to open the stopper easily. Suddenly, Jiang Lin shouted, ¡°Look, there are words at the bottom of this bottle.¡± Jiang Lin had never been to school since he was young. He only knew a few simple words, but he knew the words at the bottom of the porcelain bottle. ¡°Longevity Worm!!!¡± Jiang Lin was shocked. ¡°Could this be the tomb of the Saintess who betrayed the Sorcerer Tribe?¡± Yu Xiaolian frowned. In the novel, she didn¡¯t have much interaction with Jiang Lin, but she had heard of this witch saintess. Yu Xiaolian¡¯s biological mother was the Saintess of the Sorcerer Tribe. However, Jiang Lin was clearly not talking about her biological mother when he said that she had betrayed the Sorcerer Tribe. How did Jiang Lin know about the Sorcerer Tribe¡¯s Saintess? Yu Xiaolian asked without batting an eyelid, ¡°What is the Longevity Worm? Who is the Witch Tribe¡¯s Saintess? She sounds very powerful.¡± Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Jiang Lin¡¯s excitement turned into silence. After pondering for a long time, he said, ¡°That¡¯s not right. How could the Saintess of the Sorcerer Tribe be buried here? The Saintess of the Sorcerer Tribe is the most powerful woman in the Sorcerer Tribe. How could she be buried in this desolate mountain? Impossible! Impossible!¡± Jiang Lin looked at the stone door of the cave again and muttered, ¡°Is there really an immortal Gu in this world?¡± Just as Yu Xiaolian was about to take the white porcelain bottle from Jiang Lin¡¯s hand and take a look, Jiang Lin nervously grabbed it and put his hand behind his back. ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you have this. When we go back later, we¡¯ll pass by the trap I set. No matter how much prey there is inside, it¡¯s yours. This bottle¡­ can it be mine?¡± Yu Xiaolian was silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting with you for this porcelain bottle. I just want to take a look.¡± There were still a lot of such bottles in the tomb. If she wanted them, she would have taken one more just now. The reason why she took one out was to give it to Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin put the porcelain bottle into his pocket and smiled unnaturally. ¡°It¡¯s just a broken bottle. What¡¯s there to see? Let¡¯s go back. Don¡¯t dig for wild vegetables later and go straight back. If your mother asks why you didn¡¯t dig for wild vegetables, just say that I used wild animals to exchange for wild vegetables with you.¡± As Jiang Lin spoke, he walked back impatiently. Yu Xiaolian followed behind him and asked tentatively, ¡°Um¡­ how much do you know about the Witch race?¡± Jiang Lin paused for a moment. After a while, he pretended to be carefree and said, ¡°I know a little, not much.¡± Yu Xiaolian pretended to be curious and asked, ¡°The Shamans seem to be very terrifying. My grandmother never allowed us to discuss these things. What¡¯s so special about them?¡± Jiang Lin casually carried the basket on his shoulder and slowed down. He smiled foolishly and said, ¡°Actually, I heard from my father that the Sorcerer Tribe is a mysterious tribe that lives in seclusion. Moreover, it¡¯s a place where women are respected. When the women of the Witch race reached adulthood, they would hold a competition. The most skilled in voodoo would be called the Holy Maiden. It was rumored that the previous Saintess died a few years after becoming the Saintess. I don¡¯t know how she died. However, there were also people who said that she did not die. Instead, she went into seclusion because she developed a rare Gu like the Longevity Gu and was not tolerated by her clansmen. She probably couldn¡¯t die. After all, she could even nurture such a powerful Gu worm. How could such a powerful person die so easily? I was just spouting nonsense. Don¡¯t take it seriously. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so bold to actually climb in. If you bring the prey back today and let your father skin it, you¡¯ll have meat to eat tonight. Are you happy?¡± By the way, my father doesn¡¯t know that we came out today. You can¡¯t betray me. After all, you¡¯ve eaten my drumstick.¡± Yu Xiaolian knew everything that Jiang Lin said. She just wanted to know how much Jiang Lin knew about the Sorcerer Tribe. For example, did he know that she was a descendant of the Witch race? ¡°Have you seen anyone from the Sorcerer Tribe? How are they different from us? Do they have three heads and six arms?¡± Yu Xiaolian pretended to be relaxed and asked with a smile, ¡°Why do they want to live in seclusion? It¡¯s so aggrieved to stay in the same place all the time!¡± Yu Xiaolian actually felt a little uneasy. She felt that Jiang Lin knew more than this. Yu Xiaolian asked a series of questions, but Jiang Lin took it as the curiosity of a ten-year-old girl. He laughed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so interested in the Sorcerer Tribe. Although I¡¯ve never seen a Sorcerer Tribe member, I heard from my father that the eyes of the Sorcerer Tribe members are different from ours. Their eyes are gray. Speaking of which, your eyes seem to be a little gray.¡± Yu Xiaolian was shocked and quickly smiled. ¡°You must be mistaken. How can my eyes be gray?¡± Jiang Lin stopped in his tracks and looked into Yu Xiaolian¡¯s eyes seriously. ¡°They¡¯re really black! In the past, I often heard your grandmother call you a monster and say that your eyes are different from others. It seems that your grandmother despised your father for picking you up and deliberately scolded you.¡± Yu Xiaolian heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s right. My grandmother has never liked me.¡± Jiang Lin was curious. ¡°I heard that when your father picked you up, it was night and it was snowing heavily. You were surrounded by thick snow, but not only did you not freeze to death, there was no snow on you at all.¡± Yu Xiaolian sighed, ¡°How could a baby not die after freezing for an entire night in the snow? It¡¯s just something my grandmother made up. She only said I was a monster because she wanted my father to throw me away. Sigh¡­ It¡¯s fine if she made things up, but I don¡¯t even have a friend in the village.¡± Jiang Lin smiled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? I¡¯ll be your friend from now on.¡± Yu Xiaolian smiled. ¡°That¡¯s settled. If I have anything in the future, I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡± ¡°By the way, how did your father know that the Sorcerer Tribe had gray eyes? Could it be that he had seen the Sorcerer Tribe before?¡± Jiang Lin grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. I¡¯m not telling you, hehe!¡± Yu Xiaolian deliberately turned her head and pouted. ¡°You¡¯re still saying that we¡¯re friends. How unfriendly.¡± Seeing this, Jiang Lin smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll tell you in the future. Let¡¯s leave quickly. It will take a while to collect the prey. If you go back late, your father will be worried again.¡± Yu Xiaolian knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to find out more from Jiang Lin today. She wasn¡¯t in a hurry. There would always be opportunities in the future. She had been out for a few hours. She really had to hurry back. She and Jiang Lin checked a few traps along the way, but they were all empty. It was not until the last two that they found something. Jiang Lin generously gave one hare and two pheasants to Yu Xiaolian. Yu Xiaolian¡¯s basket was full. She casually dug out a few wild vegetables and covered them. Then, she said goodbye to Jiang Lin at the foot of the mountain and quickened her pace towards home. Along the way, Yu Xiaolian¡¯s heart was in turmoil. When they parted just now, she had specially instructed Jiang Lin not to open the white porcelain bottle easily. It would be bad if there was any danger. Although Jiang Lin agreed, Yu Xiaolian could see that he didn¡¯t take Yu Xiaolian¡¯s words to heart at all. The main story of the novel she read revolved around the female lead, Yu Yanran. The description of Yu Xiaolian¡¯s childhood as a supporting character was glossed over, and there were no details about Jiang Lin. For some reason, the more Yu Xiaolian tried to recall the plot of that book, the more blurry those memories became. Yu Xiaolian returned to the Yu family with her imagination running wild. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Old Madam Yu instructing her eldest son, Yu Changfu, to catch chickens. It seemed like she was planning to kill them to eat. What day was it today that Old Madam Yu was actually willing to kill a chicken to eat? She poked her head into their house and saw Madam Cao¡¯s two sons. It turned out that Yu Zishu and Yu Ziyi had returned. No wonder Old Madam Yu was willing to kill chickens. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yu Xiaolian stuck her head out with the basket and met Yu Zishu¡¯s gaze. Yu Zishu quickly walked out, looking like a good brother. He smiled and said, ¡°Lian¡¯er, why are you only back now? I¡¯ve been waiting for you all morning.¡± Yu Zishu had a cultured and refined appearance. He was also fair and clean-looking. Compared to the others in the Yu family, his temperament made him look not like a poor student at all. Instead, he looked like a child from a scholarly family. At this moment, Yu Zishu was looking at her with a smile, as if they had not seen each other for a long time. ¡°What are you waiting for me for?¡± Yu Xiaolian¡¯s tone was cold. After Yu Xiaolian gained power, he had focused on torturing this Yu Zishu. He probably wasn¡¯t a good person. Yu Xiaolian used to be timid and weak. Her presence in the Yu family was extremely low, and she didn¡¯t dare to speak loudly to Yu Zishu. Yu Xiaolian, who was now looking at Yu Zishu coldly, stunned Yu Zishu for a moment. However, he quickly smiled and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. I miss you very much. Could it be that you don¡¯t want to see me?¡± ¡°What does it matter?¡± ¡°Look at this.¡± Yu Zishu suddenly took out a red silk flower from his pocket and said with a smile, ¡°Do you like it?¡± Yu Xiaolian frowned. Yu Zishu¡¯s relationship with Yu Xiaolian wasn¡¯t usually this good. He was unaccountably solicitous, so he was definitely up to no good. Yu Zishu originally thought that Yu Xiaolian would be very happy if he gave her a silk flower, but unexpectedly, Yu Xiaolian remained calm and expressionless as she looked at him. ¡°Sister Lian¡¯er, why are your clothes so dirty? Quickly go back and change your clothes. Then, wash up properly and wear this silk flower on your head so that I can see if it looks good?¡± As Yu Zishu spoke, he handed the silk flower to Yu Xiaolian. Seeing that she didn¡¯t accept it, he placed it in her basket. Yu Xiaolian had crawled into the tomb earlier. The entrance of the cave was filled with the ashes of wormwood that Jiang Lin had burned, so her clothes were naturally dirty. She nodded at Yu Zishu and left. It was strange. According to Yu Xiaolian¡¯s past memories, if Yu Zishu had chatted with her for a while, Madam Cao would have come long ago and pulled Yu Zishu back. Why did she leave him alone today? Madam Cao did not care, and neither did Old Madam Yu. Something was wrong. Just as Yu Xiaolian was about to step into her house, she heard Old Madam Yu call out to her, ¡°Wretched girl, what¡¯s in your basket?¡± Yu Xiaolian cursed in her heart. She looked down and saw that one of the pheasant¡¯s claws had indeed appeared through the gap in the basket. Old Madam Yu took a step forward and was about to snatch Yu Xiaolian¡¯s basket away. Naturally, Yu Xiaolian held onto it tightly. Caught off guard, Yu Xiaolian¡¯s face was hit. In this moment of daze, the basket was snatched away by the powerful Old Madam Yu. Old Madam Yu threw the wild vegetables on the ground. When she saw that there were chickens and rabbits inside, her eyes lit up. ¡°Where did it come from? Did you steal Hunter Jiang¡¯s prey? You wretched girl, not only did you steal one to satisfy your craving, you actually stole three. Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting beaten?¡± After Old Madam Yu finished scolding, she turned around and took a look. Then, she lowered her voice and said to Yu Changfu, ¡°Eldest, stop killing them. There¡¯s no need to kill our own chickens and rabbits. Hurry up and let them go.¡± Yu Changfu had already placed the knife on the chicken¡¯s neck and was just short of stabbing it. When he heard Old Madam Yu¡¯s words, he immediately let go and the chicken ran away as if it was escaping for its life. Old Madam Yu handed the basket to Yu Changfu and said in a low voice, ¡°Take it to the kitchen to tidy it up. Be careful not to let anyone see you.¡± Yu Changfu took the basket and glanced at Yu Xiaolian in surprise, as if he didn¡¯t expect her to dare to steal. Yu Xiaolian¡¯s face was slapped and it hurt a little. Although she was unwilling to give up the wild animals just like that, she knew that she couldn¡¯t use force. After all, she was only a ten-year-old child and there were many people on the other side. If she fought, she would definitely be at a disadvantage. ¡°Someone, someone is robbing me. Bandits are robbing my things. Someone!¡± Yu Xiaolian shouted at the top of her lungs. Old Madam Yu¡¯s expression changed, and she stepped forward to cover Yu Xiaolian¡¯s mouth. Yu Xiaolian shouted as she ran, ¡°Bandits have entered the village. Someone, come quickly!¡± ¡°You wretched girl, shut up. You stole someone else¡¯s things and you still dare to shout loudly. Be careful that Hunter Jiang will break your legs.¡± Old Madam Yu wanted to grab Yu Xiaolian and teach her a lesson, but Yu Xiaolian ran as fast as a rabbit. She couldn¡¯t catch up at all, so she let Yu Xiaolian slip away until she was panting like an ox. With Yu Xiaolian shouting so loudly, the neighbors really thought that bandits had entered the village. They even came out with their weapons. Madam Sun, who was working in the Zhao family, also hurriedly ran back. In a short while, many people surrounded the Yu family¡¯s courtyard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± As soon as Madam Sun entered the courtyard, she shielded Yu Xiaolian behind her. When Old Madam Yu saw so many people present, her eyes darted around. She slapped her thigh and cried, ¡°Oh, our family is unlucky. This wretched girl is so young, but she doesn¡¯t learn well. She stole Hunter Jiang¡¯s prey and even stole three of them. I asked her to send it back, but she didn¡¯t listen. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore and wanted to hit her, but she started to make a fuss. She said that I was a bandit and a bad person. It¡¯s hard to be a good person!¡± Yu Xiaolian really didn¡¯t expect Old Madam Yu to dare to bite her back. She immediately replied loudly, ¡°You were the one who wanted to snatch my prey, but you still shamelessly said that you wanted to send it back to Hunter Jiang. You¡¯re old and disrespectful. Not only did you snatch my things, but you also want to blame me.¡± Old Madam Yu glared at Yu Xiaolian. ¡°What¡¯s yours? Did you hunt this prey back? This is obviously the prey in Hunter Jiang¡¯s trap. You stole something and you still refuse to admit your mistake. I¡¯ll beat you to death today.¡± Old Madam Yu blinked and picked up the willow twigs Yu Changhe used to weave baskets on the ground. She was about to whip Yu Xiaolian. Madam Sun protected Yu Xiaolian behind her. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not too late to fight after asking.¡± Old Madam Yu had already raised the willow branch high in the air, but she didn¡¯t want to be labeled as hitting her daughter-in-law in public. She put down her hand and scolded, ¡°This wretched girl jinxed your Kuang¡¯er to death. You ignorant woman who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you. Why are you still protecting her? Just let her jinx you all to death one day.¡± When Madam Sun heard Old Madam Yu mention Brother Kuang, her eyes immediately filled with tears. Yu Xiaolian was about to say something when she heard Madam Sun shout at Old Madam Yu as if she had gone crazy, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t stopped me from sending him to the hospital back then, my Brother Kuang wouldn¡¯t have died.¡± Old Madam Yu felt guilty. At that time, Yu Zikuang was only two years old. She did not expect that a small cold would take his life. Back then, in order to save money, she had stopped the couple from sending Yu Zikuang to town. However, she had also hired a barefooted doctor from the village. Although she did not spend much money, it could be considered a treatment. Old Madam Yu pointed at Madam Sun with a warning expression. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. Back then, I hired a doctor for Brother Kuang. No family¡¯s child who has a small illness would go to the medical hall in town. They all survived by brewing live Qiang grass in the village. However, your son is delicate. I think it was this wretched girl you picked up who snatched Brother Kuang¡¯s luck. She was the one who caused this.¡± Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Madam Sun lost control of her emotions and said loudly, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. It¡¯s because you can¡¯t bear to part with money that Brother Kuang lost his life.¡± Old Madam Yu did not expect Madam Sun to always blame her for Brother Kuang¡¯s death. She slapped her thigh and wailed, ¡°I can¡¯t live anymore. This old matter is still coming up again and again, poking at my heart.¡± ¡°That Brother Kuang is also my biological grandson. How can I deliberately kill him? You picked up a little unlucky star and raised her at home. Your son was jinxed to death, and you¡¯re blaming me?¡± Madam Sun was still protecting Yu Xiaolian. She glared at Old Madam Yu and said, ¡°Brother Kuang is already dead. Changhe and I only have one daughter. I won¡¯t allow you to bully her no matter what.¡± ¡°Madam Sun, you¡¯re not on the same side as your mother-in-law. Instead, you¡¯re protecting this wild girl you picked up. Where¡¯s Changhe? Where did Changhe go? I¡¯m going to ask my son to divorce you. Anyway, you¡¯re a hen who can¡¯t lay eggs. You aren¡¯t able to give birth to children. I must ask him to divorce you. In a while, take this wild girl and go back to your maternal family.¡± Old Madam Yu shouted Yu Changhe¡¯s name a few times, but Yu Changhe did not appear. Madam Cao said from the side, ¡°Mother, Changhe doesn¡¯t have many willow branches left. He must have gone to the mountain to cut the willow branches.¡± Madam Sun was not afraid that Yu Changhe would divorce her. She knew in her heart that Old Madam Yu was just scaring her. Firstly, Old Madam Yu couldn¡¯t bear to spend money to get Yu Changhe a wife. Secondly, if he really divorced her, no one would take care of the crippled Yu Changhe. Yu Xiaolian had always thought that Madam Sun had a very big prejudice against her, and had even always disliked her existence. She never expected that Madam Sun would fall out with Old Madam Yu today to protect her. ¡°Mother, the prey I brought back was given to me by Jiang Lin. I didn¡¯t steal it.¡± Yu Xiaolian looked at Old Madam Yu again. Her tone was low, as if she was very afraid of Old Madam Yu. ¡°Grandma, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can find Jiang Lin to confront me.¡± Old Madam Yu chuckled. ¡°Why did Jiang Lin give you the chicken and rabbits? Why didn¡¯t he give them to me?¡± As soon as Old Madam Yu finished speaking, Madam Cao exclaimed loudly, ¡°Ah, could it be¡­ you wretched girl. You know how to seduce men at such a young age. You¡¯re really embarrassing our Yu family.¡± ¡°Is it true?¡± Yu Zishu suddenly rushed out and looked straight at Yu Xiaolian. ¡°Is what my mother said true? Have you really seduced Jiang Lin?¡± Yu Xiaolian was speechless. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between me and Jiang Lin. Please don¡¯t ruin my reputation, okay?¡± Without waiting for Old Madam Yu to speak, Yu Zishu asked again, ¡°Then why did Jiang Lin give you wild animals?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why did Jiang Lin give you wild animals? Why didn¡¯t he give them to others?¡± Old Madam Yu echoed. Yu Xiaolian thought about it and felt that Jiang Lin¡¯s previous explanation of exchanging wild vegetables for wild animals was not very convincing, so she changed her reasoning. ¡°Yesterday afternoon, I went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables and accidentally fell into Hunter Jiang¡¯s trap. I was slightly injured. Hunter Jiang thought that the trap his family dug caused me to fall and hurt myself. He felt bad. Also, Hunter Jiang saw that I was too thin and asked Jiang Lin to bring some wild animals to nourish my body.¡± ¡°Nonsense. Why can¡¯t I tell which part of you is injured? Aren¡¯t you fine?¡± Old Madam Yu sized up Yu Xiaolian. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re missing an arm or a leg. You¡¯re very good.¡± Yu Xiaolian lowered her head and pretended to be aggrieved. ¡°How am I injured? Of course you can¡¯t see. Even if I die here, you¡¯ll think I¡¯m asleep, right? I¡¯m sorry, Grandma. I didn¡¯t lose an arm or a leg. I¡¯ve disappointed you.¡± Old Madam Yu was furious at Yu Xiaolian¡¯s pitiful appearance and rushed towards her. ¡°You wretched girl, you jinx. What nonsense are you talking about? I¡¯ll tear your mouth apart today.¡± ¡°Help, help! Uncles, save me.¡± Yu Xiaolian knew that now was not the time to fight Old Madam Yu head-on. Moreover, there were so many people watching now. If she impulsively insulted Old Madam Yu, she would be labeled as disobedient and unfilial. Moreover, be it in modern times or ancient times, people always sympathized more with the weak. To Yu Xiaolian¡¯s surprise, none of the onlookers were willing to stand up and stop Old Madam Yu. Sigh, it seemed that her reputation as a little unlucky star was not for nothing. Yu Zishu opened his arms and stopped the furious Old Madam Yu. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll call Jiang Lin over to confront you. Can you not hit Sister Lian¡¯er?¡± Old Madam Yu was infuriated by Yu Zishu¡¯s words. She pointed a trembling finger at Yu Zishu, wanting to scold him. Her lips trembled a few times, but she did not say anything. Madam Cao suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Yu Zishu. ¡°What confrontation? It¡¯s considered a gift from Hunter Jiang¡¯s family. How can a junior like her steal it?¡± Madam Cao pushed Yu Zishu a few times. ¡°Go in.¡± Then, she glanced at Yu Ziyi, who was watching the commotion, and asked him to keep an eye on Yu Zishu. Yu Zishu was pushed into the room, and Madam Cao returned. She looked at Yu Xiaolian and said, ¡°Your grandmother is the elder of this family and the head of the family. If there are good things, you naturally have to be filial to your elders and let them eat first. I wonder what your mother usually taught you?¡± Yu Xiaolian glanced at Madam Cao and said softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t give it to my grandmother. I originally planned to get my mother to bring a bowl to my grandmother after she was done cooking, but my grandmother wanted to keep all three of them and refused to give any to our family.¡± ¡°One bowl?¡± Madam Cao raised her voice. ¡°How can we have one bowl for such a big family? Besides, your two brothers are back today. Even if we stew these three, it might not be enough for our family. Xiaolian, you¡¯re the most obedient child. Eat it next time. Jiang Lin might even give it to you next time!¡± Madam Sun pulled Yu Xiaolian¡¯s small hand, indicating for her to not make a sound. She looked at Madam Cao coldly with a mocking expression. ¡°Sister-in-law, if I remember correctly, we seem to have already split up. Why should we put the prey Jiang Lin gave us into your pot to stew?¡± Madam Cao¡¯s face was unabashed as she said, ¡°Sister-in-law, even if we split up, you have to be filial to your elders. Mother is still alive. You can¡¯t treat her as dead, right?¡± ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t show filial piety to the elderly? We give Father and Mother 50 copper coins a month.¡± As soon as Madam Sun finished speaking, the wooden door of the main room was forcefully opened. Father Yu used the big tobacco pipe in his hand to knock on the wooden door fiercely and said loudly, ¡°Stop arguing! Isn¡¯t it embarrassing to argue like this over some food? Since they¡¯re greedy, just let their family eat the wild animals. We¡¯re already so old. What can we do if we give in to the children and eat less? We won¡¯t die of craving.¡± Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With Father Yu¡¯s shout, the surrounding crowd immediately started discussing. Someone began to persuade Madam Sun, ¡°Madam Sun, your in-laws are already so old. How many years can they eat meat? In a few years, their teeth will fall out and they won¡¯t be able to eat meat anymore. In my opinion, the days when young people eat meat can come later.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Young people like you should be filial. This meat should be given to your in-laws.¡± Yu Xiaolian deliberately glanced at the crowd and secretly remembered who had spoken just now. Madam Sun did not expect the situation to suddenly turn in Old Madam Yu¡¯s favor. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°My Xiaolian is insensible and privately accepted such a heavy gift from Hunter Jiang¡¯s family. I didn¡¯t intend to eat it at first, but I wanted to return it.¡± ¡°If you do as you say and leave the prey for my in-laws to eat, then this favor¡­?¡± Madam Sun¡¯s words could not be clearer. Whoever ate the meat would owe someone a favor. In any case, if they couldn¡¯t eat it, Old Madam Yu wouldn¡¯t be able to either. At most, she would send the wild animals back to Hunter Jiang¡¯s family. ¡°I gave the wild animals to Yu Xiaolian. Which greedy person wants to snatch my sister¡¯s food?¡± Jiang Lin suddenly came out from the back of the crowd. The Yu family was in an uproar for a while. Some of the children who were watching the show realized what was going on and specially went to the Jiang family to call Jiang Lin over. ¡°Yo, Jiang Lin is here. You can ask him. Why is he calling Yu Xiaolian his sister?¡± ¡°Sister-Brother lovers, right? Haha¡­¡± A few young men around Jiang Lin¡¯s age started joking around. ¡°Go, go, go. Stop fooling around.¡± Jiang Lin waved at the few childhood friends in the crowd, then said to Old Madam Yu, ¡°I gave this to Yu Xiaolian. I won¡¯t ask for money if she eats it. If others eat it, I¡¯m sorry, but the wild rabbit costs 80 copper coins each, and the pheasant costs 60 copper coins each. It¡¯s a total of 200 copper coins. You can eat it if you want, but you have to pay first.¡± ¡°Two hundred copper coins? You¡¯re robbing us!¡± Old Madam Yu pursed her lips and said to Yu Changfu, ¡°Return the prey to him. Our family can¡¯t afford it.¡± Yu Changfu responded and quickly went to the kitchen. He took out the pheasants and hares that he had already packed and handed them to Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin smiled roguishly. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re all packed up. You¡¯re quite fast.¡± As he spoke, he picked up the basket that Yu Xiaolian had knocked to the ground. He placed the pheasant and hares into the basket and said to Madam Sun, ¡°Actually, I only gave Xiaolian a chicken, but Sister Xiaolian said that Auntie¡¯s cooking skills are good. I want to borrow your family¡¯s pot to make two more portions for my father and me.¡± Jiang Lin placed the basket in Madam Sun¡¯s hand. ¡°Auntie, although my father and I hunt for a living and have eaten a lot of wild animals, our culinary skills are not good. The meat we make is woody and hard. I wanted to ask Xiaolian to bring a few more back and ask you to help stew them. I didn¡¯t expect it to cause such a huge commotion.¡± Jiang Lin secretly winked at Yu Xiaolian. Yu Xiaolian immediately understood and said, ¡°Brother Jiang, when I got home, before I could enter the house, the basket was snatched away by my grandmother. My grandmother even threw away all the wild vegetables I dug. Fortunately, you came. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to eat a single bite of this meat.¡± Jiang Lin patted Yu Xiaolian¡¯s shoulder, then turned to look at Old Madam Yu and the others. ¡°Sigh, if you ask me, if some people are greedy, why don¡¯t they go door to door to lick the outhouse? Who knows, they might even smell like meat!¡± ¡°Kid, are you asking for a beating? I¡¯ve already returned the meat to you. Get out of my house.¡± Yu Changfu shook his fist, but he did not step forward to attack. He knew that if they really fought, their family would not be a match for Jiang Lin alone. Jiang Lin¡¯s kung fu was inherited from Hunter Jiang. It was not a problem for him to fight ten people alone. Otherwise, he would not have become the leader of these half-grown boys in the village. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to your house either. I¡¯m here to visit my aunt.¡± Jiang Lin asked Yu Xiaolian, ¡°Which one is your house? I have to go in and wait for my aunt to stew meat for me.¡± Yu Xiaolian pointed with her little hand, and Jiang Lin strode into Yu Xiaolian¡¯s house. Madam Sun was stunned for a moment before she followed him in. Old Madam Yu¡¯s scolding came from behind. ¡°Little b*tch, you know how to seduce men at such a young age. Pfft, stewed meat? Aren¡¯t you afraid of choking you to death?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Changhe is back.¡± Everyone made way and saw Yu Changhe dragging his crippled leg into the courtyard with a bundle of willow branches. Yu Changhe threw the willow branches to the ground and looked at Old Madam Yu. ¡°Mother, what happened to our family? Why are these people here?¡± When Old Madam Yu saw Yu Changhe return, she immediately sat down on the ground and cried. ¡°Son, your wife and daughter joined forces with outsiders to bully me. Oh¡­ My life is so bitter. I don¡¯t see any wife in our village who dares to talk back to her mother-in-law. However, I just happened to encounter such an unfilial thing. I don¡¯t want to live anymore¡­¡± Yu Changhe was confused. He looked at Father Yu and asked, ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Father Yu glared at Yu Changhe and said loudly, ¡°Ask your wife!¡± When Yu Changhe heard this, he couldn¡¯t care less about Old Madam Yu on the ground and hurriedly walked back. He was afraid that something would happen to Madam Sun. When he entered and saw Jiang Lin sitting by the bed, he was stunned. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that his wife and daughter were safe and sound. Madam Sun told Yu Changhe what had happened. Although Yu Changhe felt that Old Madam Yu was unreasonable, he still felt that it was a shame that she didn¡¯t give her parents any meat. He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t¡­ I bring them a bowl when it¡¯s ready?¡± Madam Sun picked up a pheasant. ¡°Send it over later. They won¡¯t admit it even if they eat it. While the crowd outside hasn¡¯t dispersed, send it over openly so that others won¡¯t say that we¡¯re unfilial.¡± Yu Changhe smiled and took the pheasant. ¡°I understand.¡± Although Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t agree with their actions, she didn¡¯t say anything to stop them. Outside, Yu Changhe held the pheasant¡¯s leg and handed it to Old Madam Yu. ¡°Mother, we¡¯re not eating this one anymore. This is for you.¡± Old Madam Yu got up from the ground and took the pheasant. She said in disdain, ¡°You gave me the smallest one, right? Hmph!¡± Old Madam Yu carried the pheasant and left. Yu Changhe said to the people around him, ¡°Everyone, disperse. There¡¯s nothing to see.¡± ¡°Second Brother Yu, at least you have some filial piety. You gave the pheasant to your parents. Your days of eating meat will come later.¡± ¡°Changhe is still filial. Although they¡¯ve split up, he doesn¡¯t hate his Father and Mother. Good job!¡± In the crowd, Madam Feng sighed and turned to go home. After Yu Changhe returned to his room, he said to Jiang Lin, ¡°Child, take these two back. Xiaolian is an insensible child. She takes everything back. You can exchange them for a lot of copper coins at the restaurant in town!¡± Jiang Lin stood up. ¡°Uncle Changhe, I didn¡¯t have time to tell everyone about the new hunting pit I dug. Yesterday, I caused Xiaolian to fall into the hunting pit. Take these wild animals as my apology. It doesn¡¯t matter if you eat them or sell them. In any case, I won¡¯t take them back. My father is still waiting for me at home. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After Jiang Lin left, Madam Sun looked at the two wild animals and said, ¡°It¡¯s already been cleaned up. There¡¯s no way to sell it. Let¡¯s stew it all. It¡¯s been a long time since our family tasted meat.¡± Yu Changhe used a knife to chop the pheasant and rabbits into small pieces. Yu Xiaolian was in charge of starting the fire for Madam Sun. Madam Sun placed the meat into the pot and stir-fried it. She also added the seasonings she had bought in town. Soon, the fragrance of the meat began to spread. A large basin of meat was brought to the table. The three of them started to give in to each other humbly. In the end, Madam Sun said, ¡°The reason why they¡¯re all stewed is because I know that we can¡¯t keep them. Instead of letting others benefit, it¡¯s better to eat it yourself and eat it freely.¡± Although Madam Sun¡¯s words were not directed at anyone, Yu Changhe couldn¡¯t help but blush. In the past, his mother wouldn¡¯t make a fuss over a little food. Perhaps everything had changed since he couldn¡¯t earn money. Madam Sun picked up a chicken drumstick and placed it in Yu Xiaolian¡¯s bowl, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Yu Xiaolian took a bite of the drumstick and felt that her mouth was filled with oil and there was a fragrance in her teeth. This wild chicken was indeed different. Even without spices, it was still incomparably delicious. This taste was not something that modern chickens could compare to. The family of three ate to their heart¡¯s content, but there was still some left. Yu Xiaolian knew that Yu Changhe and Madam Sun didn¡¯t eat freely at all, as they saved it for Yu Xiaolian¡¯s next meal. Yu Xiaolian watched as Madam Sun placed the remaining meat on the wooden box, covering it with a bamboo cover. After tidying up, Madam Sun took out her embroidery work and started working while the sky was still bright. Yu Xiaolian also went over to help her. ¡°Mother, your embroidery is so beautiful!¡± The reason why Yu Xiaolian knew how to make string bags was because she liked to weave Chinese knots in her previous life. But if she had to use the embroidery needle, she would be finished. After all, she only knew how to watch but did not actually know how to do it. ¡°Why are my clothes so dirty again? Did you dig wild vegetables or go into the wilderness? You still smell like grass.¡± ¡°The wild vegetables I dug today were thrown away by my grandmother to feed the chickens. Originally, when Yu Zishu and the others returned, my grandmother was about to ask my uncle to kill the chickens, but in the end, the feathers on the chickens¡¯ necks were plucked and they were released again. Mother, I¡¯m going to wash up!¡± Women were so meticulous that they could even smell the ash on her body. Yu Xiaolian came to the backyard and planned to scoop some water to wash up. She had been here for so many days, but she had never brushed her teeth. She had never seen Yu Changhe and Madam Sun brush their teeth either. Did people in ancient times not brush their teeth? She took a toothbrush from the space and squeezed the toothpaste on it. She brushed her teeth neatly, then threw the things back into the space. She took out a facial cleanser, washed her face, and wiped her face with a new towel from the supermarket. When she finished washing up and returned to the house, she saw Yu Zishu standing there talking to Madam Sun. Seeing that she had returned, Yu Zishu went forward to hold her hand, but she avoided him. Yu Zishu¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I have something to tell you. Come out for a while.¡± When Yu Xiaolian and Yu Zishu stood in the backyard of the Yu Family, Yu Zishu suddenly said, ¡°Sister Lian¡¯er, I¡¯m about to participate in the autumn examination. I need someone to take care of my food and daily needs. Grandmother has already agreed to let you go to town with me.¡± ¡°Grandma agreed?¡± Yu Xiaolian was quite surprised. How could Old Madam Yu agree to let her, the little unlucky star, follow her eldest grandson? ¡°Grandma¡­ will agree. I¡¯m trying to convince her. Tell me first, are you willing to come with me?¡± Yu Xiaolian frowned. There was no such paragraph in the book, or had she forgotten it after reading it? Ignoring that matter, Yu Xiaolian shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± That¡¯s a nice way of putting it. You want me to go to town with you because you wanted me to be your free babysitter. I can¡¯t even be bothered to take care of myself. Who cares about you? If she had been more diligent in her previous life, she would have gone to the hospital to be a doctor. It was all because of the medical school¡¯s fees. Yu Zishu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it. After a while, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t¡­¡± Crazy! After Yu Zishu left, Yu Xiaolian finally reacted. In the book, Yu Xiaolian ruthlessly tortured Yu Zishu to death. Could it be because Yu Zishu was the person who betrayed her to Jun Mobai? She thought about how Yu Zishu had spent most of his time in town and then taken the entrance examination of Clear Spring Academy in Zhongyang City. He should have been the first to see Jun Mobai¡¯s bounty. Sigh, she could only blame herself for skimming through the books back then. The details were all about the love between the male and female leads. Even if she wanted to reread it now, she couldn¡¯t. She tried to flip through the e-book she had seen on her phone. It seemed to be frozen there, not moving. Now, not only did she miss the good books, looking at Yu Zishu¡¯s hesitant expression just now, her guess was probably true. Yu Xiaolian returned to her room with a heavy heart. Due to the darkness, an oil lamp had already been lit in the room. Madam Sun was embroidering next to the oil lamp, and Yu Changhe was persuading Madam Sun not to do it. Yu Changhe first said that her eyes were tired, but Madam Sun ignored him. Then, he said that his heart ached because the oil lamp was costly. Only then did Madam Sun give up. After laying the bedding, Madam Sun blew out the oil lamp. The curtain of the small floral cloth was pulled closed by Yu Changhe. Yu Xiaolian lay at the end of the bed, listing many possibilities in her heart and thinking of many life-saving tricks. Hmph, she did not want to be the stepping stone for the love between the male and female leads. Suddenly, she heard rustling sounds and Madam Sun¡¯s delicate breathing. Yu Xiaolian immediately held her breath. Damn it! Thinking that no one would notice her absence, Yu Xiaolian immediately sank into the space. After entering the space, Yu Xiaolian realized that the bag of Golden Monkey Milk Candy that she had eaten when she was digging wild vegetables yesterday was still on the shelf. Could she have remembered wrongly? Yu Xiaolian checked the number of bags of milk candy. There were five bags. In order to confirm her guess, Yu Xiaolian tore open another bag of milk candy and sat on the ground to finish it in one go. Then, he looked at the shelf with the milk candy. There were four bags. They had not changed. Yu Xiaolian thought that her family didn¡¯t have enough food to survive the winter, and she owed others a lot of money, so she wanted to share some of Madam Sun¡¯s burden. She walked around the supermarket and finally chose some wolfberries, honeysuckle, ginseng slices, and chicken blood vine. These were all things that modern people used to make tea or wine. Moreover, these things would not attract attention in ancient times. She planned to tear off the outer packaging and take these as medicinal herbs to the town¡¯s pharmacy to see if they could be exchanged for money. Yu Xiaolian checked the wolfberries. There were a total of six bags, which was too little. Moreover, each bag only contained 250 grams. In that case, it was only three catties of wolfberries. This thing probably wouldn¡¯t sell well. There were more honeysuckles. There were twenty bags, but each bag only weighed 150 grams, which was also three catties. There was not much ginseng either. There were only five boxes, and each small box only had 50 grams. In total, it was only half a catty. There were the least number of chicken blood vines. There were only two bags, but each bag was packed in one catty, which meant there were two catties. Very few people used this to make tea. Most of them were used to make wine. There were also people who used it to soak their feet. Yu Xiaolian looked at the price tag. The western ginseng slices were the most expensive. 99 yuan per box would mean nearly a thousand yuan per catty. This ginseng could probably be sold for a good price. Yu Xiaolian found a preservation bag, tore off the small packaging one by one, and poured them all into the preservation bag. When she had the chance to go to town, she would wrap them up with cloth. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Before leaving the space, Yu Xiaolian found a watch and looked at the time. It was only nine o¡¯clock. Speaking of which, it was strange that the smartphone could not be used, but the watch could. The things in the fridge had not melted, and all kinds of frozen goods were still frozen. Ice cream could also be eaten. Yu Xiaolian thought that since she had been busy in the space for so long, Yu Changhe and Madam Sun should be done, so she left the space. When she lay on the bed, Yu Xiaolian not only missed the nightlife in the city, but how good it would be if she could watch dramas and play games. Sigh, it was too early to sleep in ancient times!!! The next morning, when Yu Xiaolian woke up, she heard Madam Sun chatting with Yu Changhe, saying that Yu Zishu had left for town. However, Yu Ziyi did not follow her. She even said that Yu Zishu had come back to collect the money. Yu Xiaolian looked at the sky outside. It was misty and not yet bright. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The ancients slept early and woke up early. The reason why she woke up so early was because her stomach hurt terribly. It was probably because she had eaten too much last night. This body had not seen gad oil for a long time and had eaten something bad. Yu Xiaolian put on her clothes, stepped on her small pair of broken shoes, and ran to the toilet. When she came back from the toilet, she saw Yu Changhe sitting on a wooden stool in the corner and starting to weave baskets. She wondered why Madam Sun did not make breakfast. She saw Madam Sun holding her pillow and stuffing something into it. When she put the pillow back, she turned around and saw her appear at the door. Madam Sun panicked for a moment, but she quickly went to the backyard to cook. Yu Xiaolian dragged the pillow over and reached out to touch it. She took out a small red triangular cloth bag. What is this? Yu Xiaolian was full of curiosity. Although Madam Sun had sewn this thing extremely tightly, her serious curiosity prompted Yu Xiaolian to open it. Yu Xiaolian took out a red talisman from the cloth bag. The reason why it was called a talisman was because the paper was filled with scribble-like words. This¡­ should be used to ward off evil spirits, right? It turned out that Madam Sun had bought red paper in town that day to guard against her. Madam Sun still hated her existence. Thinking of this, Yu Xiaolian felt a little uncomfortable. The only thing that could make Madam Sun let go of her grudge was to get her pregnant again. Thinking of the special nature of Yu Xiaolian¡¯s blood in the book, she decided to secretly drip a few drops of blood into the food they ate every day. Perhaps it could make Madam Sun pregnant again. After hastily putting back the talisman paper and cloth bag back into the pillow, Yu Xiaolian planned to go to the backyard to help Madam Sun. When she walked out, she bumped into Madam Cao. She saw that Madam Cao was wearing a red silk flower on her head. It was the one Yu Zishu had given her yesterday. Yu Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Madam Cao was already an adult, but she was still wearing a red flower on her head. She thought that she was extremely beautiful, but in fact, she was incongruous. When Madam Cao saw Yu Xiaolian looking at her, she immediately seized the opportunity and said, ¡°Tell your mother later not to forget to fetch water. Poor thing, I don¡¯t know when she can buy water vats. She uses ours for nothing all day long. How shameless.¡± Yu Xiaolian ignored Madam Cao and went to the backyard. When Madam Sun saw her, she said, ¡°Go bring the leftover meat from yesterday. I want to heat it up.¡± Yu Xiaolian responded and ran back into the house. She walked to the wooden box, picked up the basin of meat, and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped. They usually ate porridge, so it was unrealistic for them to drip blood in the porridge. At this point, Yu Xiaolian picked up Madam Sun¡¯s embroidery needle and ruthlessly pricked her finger. She squeezed out a few drops of blood and mixed them into the meat. Then, she moved the meat on it to cover the blood. After doing all this, she brought the meat to Madam Sun. When Madam Sun finished cooking and the family began to eat, Yu Changhe said, ¡°I¡¯ve already made 20 baskets. When are you free to go to town to sell them?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make more. After some autumn harvest, the baskets should be easier to sell. It¡¯s not easy to sell them now, and they can¡¯t be sold for a high price. ¡°After breakfast, I¡¯ll go to the well to fetch water. Then, I¡¯ll look for Madam Feng to do some work. Lian¡¯er, wash the dishes!¡± Madam Sun lowered her head and ate the porridge. Seeing that she refused to eat meat, Yu Xiaolian took the initiative to pick up a piece for her and Yu Changhe. ¡°The weather is hot, and we can¡¯t keep this meat. It would be a pity if it was wasted. Shall we eat it all?¡± Madam Sun looked at the meat in the bowl and did not refuse. However, she only ate one piece before putting down her bowl and chopsticks. After they finished eating, there was still some meat left. Yu Xiaolian sighed. If it were Old Madam Yu, how could there be only a few pieces left? She would definitely finish all the meat in one meal. She couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful to Yu Changhe and Madam Sun for being kind people. Why couldn¡¯t good people be rewarded? In this life, she must change the ending of their bitter lives and let them live a good life. After Yu Xiaolian washed the bowls, she picked up the bamboo basket and planned to go up the mountain. She had to think of a way to exchange those wolfberries for money in town. As she walked towards the mountain, Yu Xiaolian thought hard about what excuse to use. ¡°Hey, Jiang Lin¡­¡± Yu Xiaolian looked up and saw Jiang Lin wandering at the foot of the mountain, so she called out to him. She was about to ask him if there were any wolfberry trees on the mountain when she saw Jiang Lin¡¯s bare left hand turn red. ¡°What happened to your hand?¡± Jiang Lin awkwardly retracted his left hand. Seeing Yu Xiaolian carrying the basket, he said, ¡°Nothing. Are you going to dig wild vegetables again?¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. ¡°Are there any wolfberry trees on the mountains nearby?¡± ¡°Wolfberry?¡± Jiang Lin scratched his head. ¡°This sounds a little familiar, but I can¡¯t remember what it looks like.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a slender leaf covered in small red fruits. Its leaves are also a medicinal herb called Heavenly Essence Grass. Its flowers are called Longevity Flowers. The red fruits are wolfberries.¡± ¡°Ah! I know, you¡¯re talking about the Earth Bone, right? I was wondering why this thing was so familiar. When did you learn from those city people and call it wolfberries? Isn¡¯t this the Earth Bone? Why are you looking for the Earth Bone? It¡¯s not for your father to use, right?¡± Jiang Lin looked like he understood. ¡°I know. Your mother can¡¯t get pregnant. You want to nourish your father, right? This thing is indeed costly. Your father can eat it too. ¡°However, Earth Bones like sunlight don¡¯t exist in the forest. I know where they are. Come with me.¡± The Earth Bone was indeed the alias of the wolfberry, because the root of the wolfberry was also known as the Earth Bone skin. Unexpectedly, Jiang Lin really knew about this thing. Yu Xiaolian happily followed behind Jiang Lin. ¡°Do you know where to find honeysuckle?¡± Yu Xiaolian was afraid that Jiang Lin didn¡¯t know, so she quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s honeysuckle.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t honeysuckle and Notopterygium root grow behind the forest on our mountain? Don¡¯t we usually use them to boil water when we catch a cold?¡± Yu Xiaolian chuckled. ¡°Then please take me to find some honeysuckle later. I want to dry it and sell it in town.¡± Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Jiang Lin walked in front while Yu Xiaolian skipped behind. Soon, they arrived at the col on the other side of the forest. There was a lot of sand here. The scorching sun roasted the sand until it was hot. When her small cloth shoes stepped on the hot sand, it burned Yu Xiaolian¡¯s feet. Jiang Lin pointed at the red patch in the ditch and asked, ¡°Look, is this the wolfberry you want to pick?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Yu Xiaolian ran over happily. Without hesitation, she jumped into the ditch and started picking wolfberries seeds without saying anything. These things were very easy to pick. With Jiang Lin¡¯s help, they soon picked a basket full of them. Jiang Lin asked, ¡°You picked this because you want to sell it at the town¡¯s pharmacy?¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded. ¡°I just want to try. I don¡¯t know if it will work.¡± Jiang Lin helped Yu Xiaolian lift the basket full of wolfberries. He went up first and pulled Yu Xiaolian out of the ditch. ¡°The pharmacy doesn¡¯t seem to accept fresh things. We have to dry them, and they don¡¯t seem to sell them for much.¡± ¡°One copper coin is still money. You don¡¯t know my family¡¯s current situation. Not only do we owe a lot of money to many families in the village, but we don¡¯t even have enough food for the winter. My mother does embroidery every day, and her eyes are red from exhaustion. I just want to help them share the burden.¡± Yu Xiaolian patted the dirt off her body. ¡°I¡¯ll send these home first. I¡¯ll come out later, and you can take me to pick some honeysuckle.¡± Jiang Lin picked up the basket. ¡°I have nothing to do anyway. Let me send you back.¡± Yu Xiaolian was happy and relaxed. She thought that she had to bring a big basket when she came out later. She had to dry more honeysuckle. Yu Xiaolian and Jiang Lin walked side by side on the village road, naturally attracting the attention of many people. Some people whispered that Jiang Lin was really bold. Yu Xiaolian stole a glance at Jiang Lin. Seeing that he didn¡¯t care at all, she happily followed Jiang Lin. Yu Xiaolian carried the wolfberries back into the house, found a large dustpan, and poured the wolfberries in it. These fresh wolfberries couldn¡¯t be placed under the sun. They had to be placed in the shade to dry. Yu Xiaolian felt that it was safest to put them in her house. After laying the wolfberries flat, she took a large basket and went out. When she went back just now, she didn¡¯t see Yu Changhe either. He probably went up the mountain to cut willow branches again. Yu Xiaolian came out carrying a basket that was about the same size as her. She was fiercely mocked by Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin even suggested that Yu Xiaolian could sit in the basket. It was faster for him to carry her. Yu Xiaolian glared at Jiang Lin angrily. Wasn¡¯t he just laughing at her for being short? Yu Xiaolian comforted herself in her heart. She was only ten years old and a child. She would grow taller. With Jiang Lin¡¯s help, Yu Xiaolian effortlessly picked a basket of honeysuckle. Yu Xiaolian felt that Jiang Lin knew everything. At least, Jiang Lin knew this mountain like the back of his hand. ¡°Do you know where the Bloodvine is?¡± ¡°Chicken Blood Vines are not easy to find. Some time ago, in the middle of July, in order to make river lanterns, every family went up the mountain to look for them. It¡¯s probably not easy to find them nearby.¡± It was a custom for Great Liang people to release river lanterns in the middle of July. Moreover, Great Liang people were used to using chicken blood vines to color the river lanterns. Even on this mountain, the Chicken Blood Vine was extremely rare. It seemed that she could not sell the Chicken Blood Vine this time. Jiang Lin said, ¡°If you only use a little, it¡¯ll be easy to find. When I pick it, I¡¯ll send it to you. But if you want to sell it for money, it seems to be difficult.¡± When they returned, it was naturally Jiang Lin who brought the basket back for Yu Xiaolian. Otherwise, Yu Xiaolian wouldn¡¯t be able to carry such a big basket. Honeysuckle also needed to be dried, and it also needed to be placed in a ventilation area. They had to be flipped frequently to prevent them from rotting. After Yu Xiaolian was done with everything, Yu Changhe happened to come back with a bundle of willow branches. His legs were inconvenient, so he could only carry one bundle of willow branches back each time. However, that bundle was also seventy to eighty catties. It was not something ordinary people could easily carry. Yu Changhe had been a bailiff for many years, and his body was extremely healthy. He also had good strength, but his leg was his only weakness. Yu Changhe went to the water vat and drank a ladle of water. Thinking that Yu Xiaolian should be back from digging wild vegetables, he went into the house to take a look. It didn¡¯t matter if he took a look, but there was a dustpan on the left and a dustpan on the right in the house. What was all this? Looking at the bed again, Yu Xiaolian¡¯s coat had wrapped six duck eggs and more than ten quail eggs. Just as he was feeling puzzled, Yu Xiaolian¡¯s voice sounded from behind, ¡°Father, you¡¯re back!¡± Without waiting for Yu Changhe to ask, Yu Xiaolian said happily, ¡°Father, look at these herbs I picked. I picked these wild duck eggs and quail eggs on the mountain. Father, am I awesome?¡± ¡°Herbs? How do you recognize herbs?¡± Yu Xiaolian had graduated from the Western China Medical Academy in her previous life, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that she knew these medicinal herbs. Although they didn¡¯t know how to treat living people, she not only knew pharmacology, clinical science, and investigation, but she was also a police officer. Moreover, people in the forensic profession often needed to have strong mental fortitude. Otherwise, they would vomit before they could examine the corpses. This was also the reason why Yu Xiaolian dared to explore the Grass Ghost Lady¡¯s tomb alone. She was bold and had grown up. ¡°Ah, I heard from Jiang Lin. He also helped me pick the herbs.¡± When he heard that it was Jiang Lin who had helped her, Yu Changhe dispelled his doubts. Yes, if anything happened, just push the blame to Jiang Lin. ¡°Where did you pick up these wild duck eggs? Why are they so clean?¡± It was picked up from the supermarket, so of course it was clean. ¡°Those were pretty dirty when I picked them up. I washed them.¡± It seemed that the next time he ¡°picked¡± them, she had to let them have some mud. Yu Changhe asked again, ¡°How did you get this bird egg? Don¡¯t tell me you climbed a tree and stole from a bird¡¯s nest?¡± ¡°That¡­ Jiang Lin climbed the tree.¡± The universal scapegoat¡ªJiang Lin. Yu Changhe frowned. ¡°The bird¡¯s nest is too high. It¡¯s too dangerous. Don¡¯t let Jiang Lin climb it next time.¡± Yu Xiaolian nodded in agreement. It seemed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to take out quail eggs next time. ¡°There are so many eggs. You had to dig a few nests, right?¡± Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t expect Yu Changhe to be so naggy. She blurted out, ¡°Just one. This bird mother might have given birth.¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re quite fertile. Usually, there are only five or six eggs in a bird¡¯s nest.¡± As he spoke, Yu Changhe counted the quail eggs and said with a smile, ¡°There are actually 18 of them. They can really give birth!¡± Yu Xiaolian was speechless. She didn¡¯t think so much at that time and only casually grabbed three. Moreover, when she went into the space to get the eggs just now, she realized that the bag of Golden Monkey Milk Candy she had eaten last night had returned to its original state, becoming five bags. It seemed that her supermarket space had the ability to automatically recover after midnight. This was great! She went back to the stock rack to look at the wolfberries and honeysuckle, but they didn¡¯t change back. It seemed that although the packaging had been torn off, they were still in the space. If they were taken out, new ones would probably appear the next day. Didn¡¯t the automatic recovery mean that she had endless resources? Yu Xiaolian was so happy that she wanted to jump up. In the future, not only would she not have to worry about food and clothes, but she could also live a carefree life. Just thinking about it made her laugh. Yu Changhe rested for a while before going out to weave baskets again. Yu Xiaolian secretly opened the rice bag and placed two bowls of rice inside. However, the modern white rice had been polished and was too white. It formed a strong contrast with the gray rice that Madam Sun had ground out with a stone mill. Yu Xiaolian slapped her forehead in frustration. Whatever. She couldn¡¯t pick them out one by one. She used her hand to stir the white rice so that it looked as different as possible. It was a series of self-deception. She hoped that Madam Sun would not find out. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios She thought about how Madam Sun cooked porridge every day. As long as the rice was cooked, it would look the same. Therefore, Yu Xiaolian decided to cook the porridge before Madam Sun cooked every day and try her best not to let Madam Sun touch this rice bag. In the evening, Yu Xiaolian rummaged through the herbs. Before Madam Sun returned, she cooked the porridge, three duck eggs, and all the quail eggs. Yu Xiaolian finished cooking and returned to the front yard. She saw Yu Changfu politely invite Granny Hao into their room. Why was Granny Hao here? Yu Xiaolian was curious and ran to ask Yu Changhe, who was weaving a basket. ¡°I think Zishu is about to take an exam. Your Eldest Aunt wants to ask Old Madam Hao to make one.¡± Ah, it was meant for prayer and blessings! Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t expect them to be so superstitious. They even had to spend money to ask the witch for help for the exam. If the witch was really useful, the streets would probably be filled with top scholars. Who would still work hard to farm? Thinking that Madam Sun hadn¡¯t returned yet, Yu Xiaolian squatted beside Yu Changhe and helped him sort out the willow branches of about the same size and length. At the same time, she removed the willow leaves. Just as he was doing it, a basin of water mixed with talisman ash suddenly poured down. Yu Xiaolian was furious. She turned around and saw Yu Ziyi holding an empty wooden basin. She shouted angrily, ¡°Yu Ziyi, what are you doing?¡± Seeing that Yu Xiaolian was drenched, Yu Ziyi didn¡¯t feel that it was inappropriate. Instead, he said proudly, ¡°Granny Hao said that this talisman water can ward off evil spirits and can restrain all the ominous things in the family. She asked me to sprinkle some on every corner of the house. When I came out and saw you, I felt that the most ominous thing in the family was you, you wretched girl. Of course, I have to help you clean yourself from head to toe so that you won¡¯t hinder my brother from taking the entrance examination.¡± ¡°If your brother can¡¯t become a scholar, it¡¯s because he¡¯s useless. What does it have to do with me? I think your family is crazy.¡± ¡°To be honest, my mother spent money to hire someone to boil talisman water for you. Third Uncle didn¡¯t pass the Elementary Scholar examination last year because you jinxed him. If my brother doesn¡¯t pass the examination this time, see if Grandma will chase you out.¡± Yu Xiaolian didn¡¯t expect Yu Ziyi, a scholar who had just returned from school, to be so superstitious. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t tell at all that he was educated. Had he fed all his knowledge to the dogs? Yu Xiaolian knew that the current stability of their family was only temporary. When Yu Changyu was about to get married, Old Madam Yu would chase Yu Changhe¡¯s family out on the grounds that they did not have a house. It seemed that she should have made plans long ago. After all, when their family was chased out, it would be winter and they would have nowhere to go. They had no choice but to go to Madam Sun¡¯s family in the neighboring village. However, Madam Sun¡¯s sister-in-law did not like them very much. They would live under someone else¡¯s roof for a few months before Yu Changhe spent a lot of effort to build a small hut. ¡°Ah, why are you pouring it all on Xiaolian? Didn¡¯t I tell you to use willow branches to sprinkle it on the four corners? Why didn¡¯t you do as you were told?¡± Granny Hao scolded Yu Ziyi. ¡°Then¡­ will this blessing not work?¡± Madam Cao looked at Granny Hao. ¡°Auntie, can you boil some more talisman water? I¡¯ll definitely sprinkle it on the four corners later. I¡¯ll do it. I don¡¯t need this child anymore. This child is impatient with work and spilled it on Xiaolian.¡± Then, she looked at Yu Xiaolian. ¡°Xiaolian, your Brother Ziyi didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Go into the house and change your clothes!¡± Yu Xiaolian was speechless. Just now, Yu Ziyi said that he did it on purpose. What was the point of doing this now? When she thought about how Yu Zishu would really pass the entrance examination, she got angry. Yu Changhe escorted Yu Xiaolian into the house. ¡°Lian¡¯er, let¡¯s not argue with them. Our Lian¡¯er is not their unlucky star. On the night Father picked you up, there was a glowing jade pendant beside your head. It shone on your little face. It was white as jade, like you were an immortal child.¡± Yu Xiaolian was changing her clothes in the inner room. Yu Changhe stood guard at the door and continued, ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that the jade pendant was snatched away by that damned Pan family. It¡¯s all Father¡¯s fault. It¡¯s all Father¡¯s fault¡­¡± Yu Xiaolian hurriedly changed her clothes and pulled out the curtain. ¡°Father, the Pan family broke your legs for that jade pendant, right?¡± Yu Changhe nodded. He recalled that a few months ago, the Eldest Young Master of the Pan Clan, Pan Jinrong, had somehow found out that he had a glowing jade pendant. Pan Jinrong came to him and expressed that he wanted that jade pendant. Yu Changhe was naturally unwilling. This jade pendant might be a keepsake left behind by Yu Xiaolian¡¯s biological parents. How could he give it away? In order to obtain the jade pendant, Pan Jinrong used both hard and soft methods. One night, Pan Jinrong was drunk. In a fit of anger, he brought people to break Yu Changhe¡¯s legs. He even threatened to find someone to kill Yu Changhe¡¯s entire family if he didn¡¯t see the jade pendant tomorrow. After Zhao Kuo sent Yu Changhe home, he also tried his best to persuade Yu Changhe to recognize the situation and stop opposing that bully, Pan Jinrong. Pan Jinrong¡¯s family was rich and powerful. Fighting with the Pan family was like using an egg to hit a rock. Yu Changhe¡¯s broken leg was in unbearable pain. Thinking that his family might be destroyed because of a jade pendant, Yu Changhe finally handed the jade pendant over. ¡°Father, who knows about this jade pendant?¡± ¡°When I picked you up, other than the jade pendant, you also had gold ingots on you. At that time, I gave the gold ingots to your grandmother, and I kept the jade pendant myself. Other than my family, only your Uncle Zhao knows about this. However, it¡¯s impossible for your Uncle Zhao to tell Pan Jinrong about this. It¡¯s possible that your uncle and your third uncle bragged about this jade pendant in the village and someone with ulterior motives heard about it.¡± Yu Xiaolian sighed. Her silly father had even treated Zhao Kuo as his good brother. In a while, the news of Zhao Kuo¡¯s promotion and salary increase would probably be sent back to the village. Even if she told Yu Changhe that it was Zhao Kuo who betrayed him, Yu Changhe would not believe her without concrete evidence. Madam Sun was holding an embroidery basket. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Madam Cao with the talisman water. The entire courtyard was filled with the smell of paper ashes from the talisman. ¡°Sister-in-law, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Our Zishu is about to take the exam. I invited Granny Hao to our house today to pray for blessings. This is talisman water boiled by Granny Hao. It¡¯s very useful.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Sister-in-law used to complain that Granny Hao¡¯s cultivation skills was low? Why is she willing to spend money to invite her to pray?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. She¡¯s the only one in the village who knows about these things. If I don¡¯t look for her, who else can I look for? ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t she save your Xiaolian? No matter how ingenious she is, she knows more than us laymen. In my opinion, the anniversary of Brother Kuang¡¯s death is approaching. You have to find her and see if Brother Kuang has reincarnated.¡± As Madam Cao spoke, she poured the last bit of talisman water in the basin at Madam Sun¡¯s feet. ¡°At least he became your son for a while. You have to care about him. Sigh, it¡¯s not easy to be alone!¡± With that, Madam Cao left with the wooden basin. Madam Sun stood there, her face pale. She only came back to her senses after a while. Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yu Xiaolian brought the porridge and eggs to the table, but Madam Sun lay motionless on the bed. Yu Changhe called out a few times, but Madam Sun only said that she was not hungry and closed her eyes. Yu Xiaolian peeled a duck egg and handed it to Madam Sun. Madam Sun acted as if she didn¡¯t hear her. After Yu Xiaolian persuaded her a few more times, Madam Sun suddenly sat up from the bed and knocked the duck egg out of Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hand. Then, she ruthlessly crushed the duck egg on the ground. Yu Xiaolian was stunned. What was wrong with Madam Sun? Yu Changhe stepped forward and pulled Yu Xiaolian into his arms, shouting, ¡°Are you crazy? The child kindly peeled the duck egg for you. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t eat it, but why are you stepping on it?¡± Madam Sun said hysterically, ¡°I¡¯m crazy. Ever since you picked her up, our family hasn¡¯t been doing well. First, Brother Kuang died, and then your leg was crippled. Our family is going to be ruined by her.¡± Yu Xiaolian¡¯s face turned pale, and her heart suddenly ached. It turned out that Madam Sun had been enduring things silently. In her heart, she had really blamed all the bad things on Yu Xiaolian. Slap¡­ Yu Changhe raised his hand and slapped Madam Sun. ¡°I think you¡¯re really crazy. She¡¯s just a child. Why are you so vicious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m vicious? I¡¯m vicious¡­¡± Madam Sun looked a little crazy as she kept repeating this sentence. After a while, she cried and squatted on the ground. She shouted emotionally, ¡°That¡¯s right, why am I so vicious? She¡¯s just a pitiful child. Why should I blame her? It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t protect my Brother Kuang. I couldn¡¯t bear another child. Did Brother Kuang also think that I¡¯m a disqualified mother and refused to come back?¡± Yu Xiaolian squatted down and hugged Madam Sun, who was crying bitterly. Others might not know what was going on, but she knew. At this moment, Madam Sun was probably already suffering from schizophrenia, but her symptoms were relatively light. It was unknown what stimulation she had received today that she suddenly erupted. Actually, it was better to vent like this. It was better than holding it in. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yu Xiaolian wiped Madam Sun¡¯s tears. ¡°Mother, I picked a lot of medicinal herbs today. After I sell them in town, I¡¯ll find a good doctor to treat you and Father. You will definitely have a little child again. Kuang¡¯er will definitely come back. You¡¯re a good mother. He can¡¯t bear to leave you.¡± Madam Sun hugged Yu Xiaolian and cried even louder. She muttered, ¡°Mother has gone crazy. I¡¯m sorry, Lian¡¯er, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yu Xiaolian¡¯s heart was incomparably bitter. She could only continue to comfort Madam Sun. ¡°Everything will be fine. Mother, believe me.¡± When Madam Sun was tired of crying and fell asleep on the bed, Yu Xiaolian and Yu Changhe were no longer in the mood to eat dinner. When Madam Cao heard the commotion, she came out to watch the commotion. She did not expect Madam Sun to stop after a short while. She scolded Madam Sun for being useless and returned to her room. ¡°Brother Kuang¡­ Brother Kuang¡­¡± Seeing that Madam Sun was starting to talk in her sleep, Yu Xiaolian hurriedly went over and gently patted her a few times. Madam Sun was sweating profusely. She took a towel and carefully wiped Madam Sun¡¯s sweat. After wiping her sweat, she picked up the bamboo leaf fan at the side and gently repelled the mosquitoes for Madam Sun. There were too many mosquitoes in the summer. Moreover, there was no such thing as window curtains in ancient times. The mosquitoes could enter and leave without any hindrance. It could simply be described as domineering and unscrupulous. Yu Xiaolian would get bitten a few times every day. A few days ago, she had held back from using the mosquito repellent, afraid that Madam Sun and Yu Changhe would smell it. However, she was bitten so badly that she didn¡¯t want to hold it in anymore. Taking advantage of the fact that Yu Changhe wasn¡¯t in the house, she took the repellent and sprayed it on Madam Sun and herself. Speaking of which, it was strange. As soon as the mosquito repellent was sprayed, the buzzing of the surrounding mosquitoes disappeared. It was quite effective. Yu Changhe had been weaving baskets outside the entire time. He only returned when it was completely dark outside. As soon as he entered the house, he smelled a fragrance. He twitched his nose. ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± Yu Xiaolian pulled the small floral curtain in the middle and lay back on her bed. She lied through her teeth, ¡°It seems to be from my mother.¡± Yu Changhe leaned closer to Madam Sun and took a sniff. ¡°It¡¯s really from your mother. Why does your mother smell so good?¡± He sniffed carefully again and muttered, ¡°Your mother doesn¡¯t usually wear rouge.¡± ¡°Maybe she got it from Auntie Zhao. My mother and her worked on embroidery all day and accidentally got it.¡± Yu Changhe nodded. ¡°Mm, that¡¯s possible.¡± Sigh, she had finally fooled them. In order to sell more wolfberries and honeysuckle, Yu Xiaolian decided to take out the bags of things from the supermarket tonight. This way, the supermarket would automatically replenish them tomorrow. When she heard Yu Changhe¡¯s snoring, Yu Xiaolian took out the wolfberries, honeysuckle, and ginseng slices that she had packed in a plastic bag yesterday. She just had to wake up early tomorrow morning and put the things into her space. He did not know if this move would work, but she had to try to know. As she was worried about Yu Xiaolian, who had overslept, she didn¡¯t sleep much in the first half of the night. After midnight, she couldn¡¯t wait to enter the space. Sure enough, there was a new row of wolfberries, honeysuckle, and ginseng slices on the supermarket shelf. Yu Xiaolian went forward to check. There were six bags of wolfberry seeds, fifteen bags of honeysuckle, three bags of western ginseng, and two bags of chicken blood vine. There was not more or less. Yu Xiaolian put the things under her blanket into her space again before falling asleep in peace. After a few more days, these medicinal herbs had almost dried up in the room. Yu Xiaolian took them to the backyard and placed them under the sun. She was fully alert every day and looked at these medicinal herbs, afraid that the fruit she was about to obtain would be stolen by others. Especially Yu Ziyi¡¯s every move. Yu Xiaolian was watching him closely. As long as he went to the backyard, Yu Xiaolian would follow him. After a few more days, Yu Xiaolian saw that the medicinal herbs were almost dry, so she happily put them into a cloth bag. Yu Ziyi suddenly appeared in front of her and blocked her way. ¡°Grandma wants you to dig up some wild vegetables to feed the chickens!¡± Yu Xiaolian said impolitely, ¡°She probably asked you to dig for vegetables, right? We¡¯ve already split up. Grandmother won¡¯t instruct me.¡± Seeing that Yu Xiaolian had exposed her, Yu Ziyi simply stopped pretending. ¡°I heard from Second Uncle that you plan to sell these things in town. Do you know how to get to town? I happen to be going to town to deliver things to Eldest Brother. Shall I help you sell them?¡± Yu Xiaolian rolled her eyes at Yu Ziyi. Did she look that stupid? ¡°No, I can go by myself.¡± The reason why Yu Ziyi hadn¡¯t touched Yu Xiaolian¡¯s medicinal ingredients for the past few days was because he knew that if the medicinal ingredients weren¡¯t dried out, they wouldn¡¯t be able to be sold for money. He had been waiting for today. Seeing that Yu Xiaolian wasn¡¯t willing to be persuaded by force or persuasion, he directly snatched them. No matter how worthless these medicinal ingredients were, they should be able to be sold for more than ten copper coins. In any case, they had already been dried. It would be a waste not to get the money in his hands.